SOME  EARLY  JUD/FO-CHRISTIAN 

DOCUMENTS   IN  THE  JOHN 

RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


SYRIAC 


ALPHONSE    MING  ANA,    D.f 


1.  A  NEW  LIFE  OF  CLEMENT  OF  ROME 

2.  THE  BOOK  OF  SHEM  SON  OF  NOAH 

3.  FKAGMENi  FROM  THE  PHILOSOPHER  ANDRONICUS 

AND  AS.iPH,  THE  HISTGiUAN  OF  THE  JEWS 


Ref- ,-;/.'(..//    :,i   "  t  h-    '!'>*.< Icii*;  nf  tlic   h>a>   Ryl.mds  Lit 

.    1 9 1  " 


MANuaiLS"ER:  THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS,  12  IjriE 
GROVE,  O>FORD  RC  \D.  LONGMANS,  GREEN  AND  CO.,  jg 
PATERNOSTER  ROW,  LONDON,  E.G.,  NEW  YORK,  BOMBAY, 
CALCUTTA,  AND  MADRAS.  BERNARD  QUARITCH,  n 
r-RAFTO.*:  STRF^T,  LONDON,  W.  MCMXVII 


THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  ILLINOIS 

LIBRARY 

2.TO.I 


PUBLISHED    FOR    THE   JOHN    RYLANDS    LIBRARY   AT 

THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
12  LIME  GROVE,  OXFORD  ROAD,  MANCHESTER 

LONGMANS,  GREEN  AND  CO. 

LONDON:  39  PATERNOSTER  Row 

NEW  YORK:  443-449  FOURTH  AVENUE  AND  THIRTIETH  STREET 

BOMBAY:  8  HORNBY  ROAD 

CALCUTTA:   6  OLD  COURT  HOUSE  STREET 

MADRAS  :  167  MOUNT  ROAD 

BERNARD  QUARITCH 
ii  GRAFTON  STREET,  NEW  BOND  STREET,  LONDON,  W. 


NOTICE:  Return  or  renew  all  Library  Materials!  The  Minimum  Fee  for 
each  Lost  Book  is  $50.00. 

The  person  charging  this  material  is  responsible  for 
its  return  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  withdrawn 
on  or  before  the  Latest  Date  stamped  below. 

Theft,  mutilation,  and  underlining  of  books  are  reasons  for  discipli- 
nary action  and  may  result  in  dismissal  from  the  University. 
To  renew  call  Telephone  Center,  333-8400 

UNIVERSITY    OF    ILLINOIS    LIBRARY    AT    URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


SEP  151! 


SOME  EARLY  JUD^EO-CHRISTIAN 

DOCUMENTS  IN  THE  JOHN 

RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

SYRIAC   TEXTS    ^  v 

24 
of 


EDITED   WITH    TRANSLATIONS 

ALPHONSE   MINGANA,    D.D. 


1.  A  NEW  LIFE  OF  CLEMENT  OF  ROME 

2.  THE  BOOK  OF  SHEM  SON  OF  NOAH 

3.  FRAGMENT  FROM  THE  PHILOSOPHER  ANDRONICUS 


Reprinted  from  "The  Bulletin  of  the  John  Rylands  Library'1 
Vol.  4,  No.   i,  April-August,  1917 


MANCHESTER:  THE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS,  12  LIME 
GROVE,  OXFORD  ROAD.  LONGMANS,  GREEN  AND  CO.,  39 
PATERNOSTER  ROW,  LONDON,  E.G.,  NEW  YORK,  BOMBAY, 
CALCUTTA,  AND  MADRAS.  BERNARD  QUARITCH,  n 
GRAFTON  STREET,  LONDON,  W.  M.CMXVII 


£^0.  I 
J(pls 


SOME  EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS  IN 
THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY. 

EDITED  WITH  TRANSLATIONS  BY  ALPHONSE  MINGANA,  D.D. 

I.  A  NEW  LIFE  OF  CLEMENT  OF  ROME 

FOREWORD. 

UNDER  the  above  title  we  present  a  new  life  of  Clement  of 
Rome,  or  Clement  the  Doctor,  the  original  manuscript  of 
which  is   preserved   in   the   library   of   the   monastery   of 
Za'faran,  the   ordinary  residence  of   the   monophysite  Patriarch  of 
Antioch.     It  is  written  on  parchment  in  Estrangelo  characters  which 
can  hardly  be  later  than  the  eleventh  century,  but  being  truncated  at 
the  end,  the  colophon  which  might  have  revealed  something  about  its 
provenance,  is  consequently  missing.     It  contains  a  precious  collection 
of  hagiographical  pieces,  under  the  general  title  of  Book  of  Lives  of 
Saints. 

The  text  here  printed  has  been  carefully  copied  for  me  by  Fr. 
Ephraim  Barsom,  the  head  of  the  West-Syrian  press  at  Mardin.  I 
examined  myself  the  original,  but  was  unable  to  fill  the  lacunae  of  the 
few  words  which  here  and  there  could  not  be  deciphered.  These 
words  have  almost  completely  faded  away,  and  for  their  restoration 
we  are  reduced  to  a  surmise.  In  the  text  of  the  present  edition  when 
this  restoration  did  not  lack  probability,  we  have  placed  the  restored 
word  between  brackets  ;  but  when  such  a  restoration  would,  in  our 
judgment,  have  involved  a  mere  conjecture,  we  have  deemed  it  wiser 
to  refer  to  it  by  the  word  "  illegible,"  in  the  translation,  and  by  three 
dots  in  the  text. 

The  copy  transcribed  from  the  unique  manuscript  at  Mardin  is 
now  preserved  in  the  John  Rylands  Library,  where  it  is  placed  at  the 
end  of  some  chapters  of  the  works  of  Gregory  of  Cyprus  (fourth 
century)  on  Christian  monachism.  In  1914  I  published  an  English 
translation  of  this  document  (Expositor,  p.  227  sq.)  with  a  short 

3 


722634 


4  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

Foreword  containing  the  principal  points  of  comparison  with  some 
early  Christian  compositions.  But  as  no  serious  judgment  can  be 
formed  of  a  writing  in  the  absence  of  its  original  text,  I  present  here 
to  the  students  of  Christian  antiquities  the  Syriac  text  from  which  the 
English  translation  was  derived. 

In  his  interesting  Introduction  to  the  Acts  of  Euphemia,1  F.  C. 
Burkitt  has  made  the  happy  remark  that  the  East  has  always  been 
famous  for  the  telling  of  tales.  If  this  remark  is  given  the  full  credit 
which  it  deserves,  very  few  apocryphal  stories  would  afford  insoluble 
problems  to  hagiologists.  To  cast  into  the  mould  of  a  mere  tale  the 
history  of  saints  and  of  popular  heroes  is  the  favourite  art  of  the 
Syrians,  who  count  in  their  martyrologium  scores  of  lives  of  saints 
which  in  later  generations  have  been  made  accessible  to  Western 
Christendom.  In  this  category  are  to  be  included  the  Acts  of 
Judas  Thomas,  of  Peter  and  Paul  and  of  all  the  ancient  productions 
of  Edessene  literature.  So  far  as  our  knowledge  goes  this  kind  of 
hagiology  flourished  from  the  third  to  the  fifth  century.  If  the  psycho- 
logical mind  of  the  actual  inhabitants  of  the  country  be  of  any  value 
for  our  investigations  of  the  early  centuries  of  our  era,  and  if  the 
present  art  of  telling  a  tale  in  Syria  can  have  certain  resemblance  with 
its  prototype  of  the  heroic  age  of  Christianity,  the  process  of  its 
evolution  would  be  as  follows  :— 

After  the  death  of  a  hero,  his  history  was  transmitted  orally  from 
father  to  son  among  certain  literary  circles.  Several  years  later  some 
other  circles  wished  to  know  something  about  the  hero  on  whom 
praise  was  so  skilfully  lavished  by  his  first  admirers.  The  duty  of 
enlightening  such  people  and  of  writing  down  on  parchment  the 
hero's  exploits  was  naturally  incumbent  on  the  persons  belonging  to 
the  first  group  of  men,  and  preferably  on  a  man  who  by  reason  of 
social  standing  or  intellectual  proficiency  was  in  a  more  favourable 
position  to  perform  the  task.  The  accuracy  of  the  history  written  in 
this  way  depended  on  the  man  who  wrote  it,  on  the  distance  which 
separated  him  from  the  hero,  and  on  the  personal  authority  of 
people  who  constituted  the  intermediary  links  separating  him  from  the 
hero.  This  method  proved  very  successful  and  was  adopted  in  the 
eighth  century  by  the  Muslim  Syrians  as  a  basis  for  the  more 
recent  history  of  the  founder  of  Islam  and  his  first  disciples.  The  only 

1  Euphemia  and  the  Goth,  p.  50. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS        5 

difference  which  distinguishes  the  Christian  from  the  Mohammedan 
oral  tradition,  is  the  mention,  in  the  latter,  of  the  intermediary  tradi- 
tionists.  This  difference  arose  from  the  sceptical  attitude  of  Chris- 
tians and  Jews  towards  the  new  heroes  of  Southern  and  Central 
Arabia.  The  Muslim  writers  were  obliged  to  give  greater  precision 
and  more  actuality  to  their  traditionists  in  face  of  people  naturally 
indifferent  and  even  hostile.  The  Muslim  was  obliged  to  say  :  Peter 
told  Paul,  Paul  told  James,  James  told  John,  John  told  my  father,  and 
my  father  told  me  ;  the  Christian  his  predecessor,  speaking  to  Chris- 
tians, could  only  say  :  it  has  been  told,  or  I  heard  from  some  friends, 
or  Paul  said  so,  and  could  even  sometimes  dispense  with  all  formali- 
ties and  approach  without  compromise  the  subject  he  wanted  to  trans- 
mit to  posterity. 

In  the  development  of  this  method  certain  bold  writers  could  even 
find  their  way  for  putting  in  the  mouth  of  their  hero  vf\\a\.post  factum 
they  wanted  him  to  have  said  in  some  circumstances  of  his  life,  or  for 
making  him  tell  his  own  story  from  beginning  to  end.  In  the  Clemen- 
tine Homihes,  Clement  is  made  to  say  'Eya>  KXi^/A^s,  Peu/u,auuz> 
TroXtrrjs  <*)v,  and  in  the  Recognitions  the  narrator  wants  him 
to  begin  with  Ego  Clemens  in  urbe  Roma  natus,  ex  prima 
estate  pudicitice  studium  gessi.  All  these  methods  of  narration 
are  simple  ramifications  of  the  art  of  story  telling,  and  constitute 
an  embellishment  and  an  amplification  of  the  fact  that  the  narrator 
had  not  seen  the  hero  whose  life  he  was  preserving  for  future 
generations. 

The  present  life  of  Clement  of  Rome  is  to  be  classed  in  this 
category  of  tales.  What  enhances  its  value  are  the  similarities  and 
dissimilarities  which  it  offers  when  compared  with  the  Clementine 
literature  of  the  third  century.  Our  document  is  more  sober  in  detail 
than  both  the  Homilies  and  the  Recognitions,  lacking  as  it  does 
scores  of  incidents  which  if  not  identical  with  the  fantastic  fairies  of 
the  Arabian  Nights,  or  the  allegorical  allusions  and  genealogical 
trees  of  animals  of  the  Acta  Tkomcz,  yet  by  their  curious  mise  en 
scene,  have  many  points  of  resemblance  with  the  life  and  adventures 
of  the  Twin  of  our  Lord. 

The  main  points  of  difference  between  the  already  known  Clemen- 
tine literature  and  our  document  may  be  summarized  as  follows  : — 

1 .  Our  document  nowhere  makes  mention  of  Simon  Magus  who 


6  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

plays  such  an  important  role  in  Clement's  life.  Lipsius  l  has  since 
1872  believed  that  the  magician  Simon  was  to  be  regarded  as  a 
mythical  person  who  has  never  existed,  Simon  being  simply  a  pseudo- 
nym of  the  Apostle  Paul.  Hort 2  has  tried  to  refute  Lipsius'  view 
with  apparently  good  reasons.  The  document  here  printed  supports 
the  theory  of  the  absence  of  the  magician's  intercourse  with  Peter  and 
Clement  in  the  original  form  of  the  story,  and  this  induces  us  to  suppose 
that  Simon's  introduction  in  the  scene  might  have  been  a  late  embellish- 
ment of  the  narrative. 

2.  In  the   Clementine   literature   (Pair.    Grceco-Lat.  I,   1359 
and  II,  330)  Clement's  mother  is  called  Mattidia  ;  the  present  docu- 
ment calls  her  Mitrodora.     Both  names  sound  well,  and  it  is  impossible 
to  decide  which  of  them  she  actually  bore,  although  Mitrodora,  by  its 
relation  to  fttr/oa  or  Mi'0/oas,  would  seem  to  be  more  likely.     There 
is  also  a  difference  in  the  names  of  the  other  members  of  the  family, 
for  whereas  the  Homilies  (ibid.  II,  330)  call  his  father  Faustinus, 
and  his  two  brothers  Faustinianus  and  Faustus,  the  Recognitions 
(ibid.  I,  1359)  give  Faustinianus  as  the  name  of  the  father.     This 
small    variant   might  be  due  to  a  slip  of  the  pen  on   the  part  of 
the  scribes,  and  much  must  not  be  built  on  it,  but  it  is  worth  while  to 
remark  that  our  document  is  in  harmony  with  the  Recognitions  against 
the  Homilies. 

3.  In  the  Clementine  writings,  the  father  is  said  to  have  left  at 
home  Clement,  his  youngest  son,  when  he  set  sail  in  search  of  his  wife 
and  his  two  other  children.     The  present  document  informs  us  that  he 
took  Clement  with  him. 

4.  The  manner   in   which    Clement  and    his   relations   became 
acquainted  with  Simon  Peter,  and  met  with  one  another  after  their 
previous  separation  is  told  in  a  form  very  different  from  that  with  which 
we  are  familiar  in  the  Clementine  literature.     Generally  speaking  the 
details  of  the  narrative  of  the  new  document  are  more  naturally  handled 
and  explained,  and  no  resort  is  made  to  the  elaborate  incidents  of 
the  Greek  Homilies  and  the  Latin  Recognitions.     Our  document 
might,  therefore,  have  preserved  a  more  ancient  form  of  the  tale. 
Towards  the  middle  of  the  third  century,  a  Syrian  or  a  Palestinian 

1  In  his  Quellen  d.  rom.  Petrussage. 

2  Notes  Introductory  to  the  Study  of  the  Clementine  Recognitions, 
p.  1 27  sq. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS        7 

writer  would  have  brooded  over  a  sober  tradition  and  cast  it  into  the 
mould  of  a  detailed  tale.  A  sober  story,  unless  it  be  an  abridgment 
of  a  longer  one,  is  generally  considered  as  a  more  primitive  form  of 
an  oral  tradition,  and  until  it  is  proved,  through  other  channels, 
that  our  document  is  in  facto  an  abridgment  of  both  Homilies  and 
Recognitions  combined,  which  in  view  of  the  deep  changes  involved 
it  would  be  difficult  to  prove,  we  might  safely  assume  that  it  preserves 
a  more  authentic  exposition  of  facts  than  the  corresponding  Graeco- 
Latin  productions  of  the  third  or  fourth  century. 

Another  interesting  point  of  comparison  may  be  drawn  from  the 
Acta  Eustachii  (in  Acta  Sanctorum,  Vol.  VI,  pp.  123-135). 
These  spurious  Acts  tell  us  that  a  certain  Placidus,  who  at  his  baptism 
received  the  name  of  Eustachius,  was  martyred  under  the  reign  of 
Hadrian  with  his  wife  Theopistis  and  his  two  sons  Agapius  and 
Theopistus.  The  manner  of  losing  his  wife  and  his  children  and  of 
meeting  them  again,  and  the  way  the  mother  recognizes  her  children 
after  a  long  absence,  offer  unmistakable  parallels  with  the  adventures 
of  Clement  and  his  relatives.  These  coincidences,  we  have  said  in 
our  study  referred  to  above,  will  perhaps  establish  the  assumption  that 
the  tale  of  a  man  losing  his  wife  and  two  children,  and  recovering 
them  afterwards  through  the  good  fortune  of  having  adopted  some 
Christian  beliefs,  was  the  outcome  of  a  folk-lore  which  seems  to  have 
formed  the  staple  of  the  evening  conversation  of  many  a  Christian  in 
the  first  centuries  of  our  era. 

The  epoch  of  the  appearance  of  such  a  legend  is  difficult  to  de- 
termine. As  far  as  the  tale  of  Eustachius  is  concerned  the  Bollandists 
who  edited  it  remark  naively  :  "  Quamquam  hoc  anonymi  scriptoris 
testimonium,  non  magni  ponderis  esse  posset  apud  criticos  magis 
severos ".  The  most  ancient  mention  of  the  tale  in  the  writings  of 
Christian  fathers,  is,  according  to  the  Bollandists,  made  by  Joannes 
Damascenus  (ibid.  p.  1 08).  This  being  the  case,  one  is  tempted  to 
believe  that  the  final  redaction  of  the  Acts  can  scarcely  go  back  to  a 
time  preceding  the  fifth  century.  In  the  case  of  a  contrary  assumption 
one  would  have  thought  that  the  tale  would  have  been  represented  in 
Syriac  literature,  either  in  a  translation  or  in  a  modified  form  of  new 
recension.  Since,  in  the  editor's  opinion,  Palestine  is  given  as  the 
country  of  the  hero's  adventures  and  the  Jordan  as  the  sacred  river 
where  he  lost  his  children,  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  suppose  that 


8  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

the  beautiful  tale  would  have  escaped  the  attention  of  Syrian  hagio- 
logists. 

The  question  of  the  date  of  the  Clementine  literature  seems,  on 
the  other  hand,  to  be  more  complicated.  Hort  (ibid.  p.  24  .sy.)  has 
referred  to  two  passages  of  Origen  which  seem  to  suggest  that  their 
writer  was  acquainted  with  an  older  form  of  the  Recognitions.  The 
first  passage  is  important  because  it  alludes  to  astrological  computations 
found  in  both  Recognitions  and  Origen,  and  Hort  adds  ingeniously  : 
"  As  a  matter  of  fact  these  chapters  coincide  pretty  closely  with  the 
Book  of  the  Laws  of  Countries  extant  in  Syriac  and  in  part  in  Greek, 
written  by  an  early  Bardesanist ;  and  comparison  shows  that  the  Re- 
cognitions borrowed  from  the  Bardesanist  Book,  not  vice  versa ". 
Here  we  are  in  the  school  of  the  Edessene  Bardesanes.  Hort's  view 
is  clearly  borne  out  by  the  close  relation  which  exists  between  the 
method  of  telling  a  tale  used  in  Acts  of  Judas  Thomas  and  the 
Clementine  Recognitions  and  Homilies.  The  Acts  of  Judas 
Thomas  are  certainly  the  work  of  a  pupil  or  grand  pupil  of  Bardes- 
anes, and  if  the  astrological  chapters  found  in  the  Recognitions  are 
as  Hort  rightly  asserts  derived  from  Bardesanes,  there  should  not  be 
much  difficulty  in  finding  the  country  of  the  Recognitions,  nor  the 
probable  date  of  their  composition.  The  country  would  be  a  town 
in  North-Eastern  Syria,  and  the  probable  date  of  their  composition 
225-245. 

The  information  given  by  Eusebius,  in  the  chapter  devoted  to 
Clement  (III,  38,  5),  is  also  important.  After  mentioning  his  Epistles 
to  the  Corinthians,  he  proceeds  :  "  Nay,  moreover,  certain  men  have 
yesterday  and  quite  lately  (x^s  K0^  Trptoiqv)  brought  forward  as 
written  by  him  other  verbose  and  lengthy  writings,  said  to  contain 
dialogues  of  Peter  and  Appion  of  which  not  the  slightest  mention  is 
to  be  found  among  the  ancients,  for  they  do  not  even  preserve  in  purity 
the  stamp  of  the  apostolic  orthodoxy".  The  expressions  "yesterday 
and  quite  lately "  used  by  Eusebius  seem  to  corroborate  the  above 
date  225-245.  The  historian  had  chiefly  in  view  the  refutation  of 
those  who  ascribed  the  pseudo- Clementine  writings  to  the  apostolic 
age,  and  the  vehement  x#eg  /cat  Trptoyv  are  simply  an  accentuation 
of  this  idea,  without  any  attempt  to  determine  the  year  or  day. 

Coming  to  our  new  Syriac  document,  we  notice  that  it  certainly 
belongs  to  the  group  of  hagiographical  pieces  represented  by  the  Acts 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS        9 

of  Judas  Thomas,  and  by  several  other  pious  compositions.  A  de- 
finite date  will  probably  never  be  given  to  these  pieces,  but  I  think 
that  we  should  not  be  far  from  truth  if  we  tried  to  ascribe  them  to  the 
second  half  of  the  third  century  of  our  era. 

In  the  above  lines' we  have  taken  into  account  only  the  older  form 
of  the  romance,  which,  in  the  opinion  of  some  critics,  the  Clementines 
exhibited  before  they  came  to  be  fixed  in  their  present  order.  As 
they  stand  in  Greek  and  Latin  MSS.,  Waitz 1  and  Bohmer- 
RomundC  have  dated  the  Recognitions  after  350,  on  the  ground  of 
their  Eunomian  Arianism  (cf.  Recog.  Ill,  2-11).  Harnack  3  believes 
that  this  Arianism  may  be  explained  by  the  Lucianic  school,  and 
consequently  dates  them  between  290  and  360.  Quite  recently 
Chapman 4  has  dated  as  follows  the  different  parts  which  compose  the 
Clementine  Recognitions  and  Homihes  :— 

"  (1)  Dialogues  of  Peter  and  Appion  c.  320.  (2)  The  first 
edition  of  the  completed  romance  c.  330.  It  was  perhaps  retouched 
(3)  by  its  author  some  years  later.  One  of  these  versions  was  abridged 
and  dislocated  in  (4)  the  Homilies  c.  350-400.  Another  version 
was  interpolated  and  altered  (5)  by  a  Eunomian  c.  365-370  ; 
this  was  abridged  further  (6)  c.  370-390  ;  the  last  two,  (5)  and 
(6),  were  known  to  Rufinus  ;  he  translated  the  shorter  of  them  (7) 
c.  400.  A  somewhat  expurgated  edition  (8)  was  apparently  current 
among  the  Byzantines,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Nicephorus,  and 
was  used  by  Maximus  and  others." 

The  grounds  for  ascribing  the  whole  of  the  Clementine  literature 
in  their  present  form  to  such  a  late  date  are  mainly  : — 

1.  The  occurrence  in  Recognitions,  I,  73  of  the  word  Archie- 
piscopus  which  is  unknown  before  the  fourth  century. 

2.  Some  striking  parallels  between  the  doctrine  of  the  Recog- 
nitions and  that  of  Eunomius's  Liber  Apolegeticus  written  about 
362. 

These  two  objections  fall  to  the  ground  in  the  light  of  the  new 
document,  in  which  there  is  no  suggestion  of  the  doctrinal  develop- 
ments of  the  fourth  century,  and  no  intention  on  the  part  of  the  writer 
to  dogmatize  either  in  an  orthodox  or  in  an  Arian  sense. 

1  Die  Pseudo-Clementinen,  1904,  p.  371. 

2  Zeitschr.  Wiss.  Theol.  1903,  p.  374. 

3  Chron.  II,  534-535.  4  Zeitsch.  Neut.  Wiss.  1908,  p.  32. 


10  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

We  conclude  this  short  preface  by  the  following  lines  taken  from 
the  number  of  the  Expositor  referred  to  above  :  Critics  will  doubt- 
less remark  that  this  document  is  cast  in  a  mould  far  more  Jewish  than 
the  Pseudo-Clementine  Recognitions  and  Homilies  can  claim.  This 
characteristic  is  a  criterion  not  always  to  be  despised  in  ascribing 
historical  lucubrations  to  a  determined  epoch.  In  this  respect  the 
reader  will  surely  notice  that  Peter  is  always  called  Simon  or  Simon 
Cephas,  and  never  Peter  or  Simon  Peter.  Syriac  scholars  who  are 
not  accustomed  to  find  very  often  in  Syriac  literature  this  old  name 
applied  to  the  head  of  the  Apostles  in  such  an  exclusive  manner  will 
no  doubt  bear  a  certain  testimony  to  the  archaism  of  the  narration. 
Its  illustrations  are  generally  drawn  from  the  Old  Testament,  and 
everything  in  it  suggests  that  it  might  have  seen  the  light  before  the 
fourth  century  which  saw  the  beginning  of  the  doctrinal  hellenization 
of  Edessa  and  the  neighbouring  districts. 

The  Syriac  style  of  the  document  is  pure,  and  free  from  that  ex- 
uberance of  incorrectness  and  stiffness  which  characterize  some  Syriac 
translations  of  Greek  originals,  and  the  critic  who  would  maintain  that 
it  has  been  originally  written  in  Syriac  will  have  powerful  weapons  in 
hand  to  defend  his  opinion. 

TRANSLATION. 

Again  a  story  about  Clement,  the  disciple  of  Simon  Cephas,  and 
about  his  parents  and  his  brothers,  how  they  also  have  been  evangel- 
ized. 

There  was  in  the  city  of  Rome  a  rich  man  called  Faustinianus, 
and  the  name  of  his  wife  was  Mitrodora.  They  openly  worshipped 
idols,  and  though  they  did  not  know  God,  they  served  Him  truly  and 
justly.  They  gave  alms  to  the  poor  from  their  riches,  like  Job,  and 
received  the  strangers  and  the  poor  like  Abraham.  The  word  of  the 
Scripture  was  fulfilled  in  them,  which  says  :  "  He  who  fears  God 
behaves  justly,"  and  "  Abraham  believed  in  God,  when  still  pagan, 
and  He  gave  him  the  reward  of  his  justice  'V  And  this  just  Faus- 
tinianus received  the  reward  of  hisjustice  at  the  end  of  his  life.  Andf 
as  Abraham  and  Sarah  have  been  tested  through  Isaac,  so  (Faustini- 
anus and  Mitrodora)  were  without  an  heir,  in  order  that  justice 

1  Cf.  Gen.  XV.  6  ;  Rom.  IV.  3  ;  Gal.  III.  6. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      1 1 

might  be  performed  in  them,  and  righteousness  might  increase  through 
them. 

If  the  hired  man  does  not  work,  he  cannot  claim  his  salary,  because 
it  is  not  written  that  just  people  received  any  reward  except  after 
they  had  worked,  and  wicked  people  any  chastisement  till  they  had 
sinned.  If  Adam  had  not  transgressed,  he  would  not  have  been 
driven  out  of  Paradise  ;  and  if  Cain  had  not  committed  murder, 
trepidation  would  not  have  dwelt  in  his  limbs  ;  and  the  robber  did 
not  enter  into  Paradise  till  he  confessed.  So  is  the  case  with  these 
just  people,  Faustinianus  and  his  wife,  whose  rewards  are  according 
to  their  toil  ;  and  since  I  have  narrated  the  nature  of  their  work,  I 
will  now  relate  their  exploits.  He  who  has  the  clean  ears  of  the 
words  of  love,  let  him  approach  and  hear  a  pleasant  account  and 
delight  in  it. 

These  righteous  people  were  deprived  of  posterity,  and  for  a  long 
time  they  were  distressed.  After  a  certain  time,  God  wished  to  com- 
fort them  and  to  show  them  that  He  had  not  kept  back  their  reward 
from  them.  Mitrodora,  then,  had  two  babes  in  her  womb,  as  Rebecca 
had  Esau  and  Jacob.  She  gave  them  names,  to  the  elder  Faustinus 
and  to  the  younger  Faustus.  She  brought  forth  also  another  child, 
and  she  called  him  Clement. 

Then  the  Evil  One,  the  enemy  of  justice,  wished  to  make  them 
stumble  by  his  craftiness,  and  to  insinuate  himself  to  these  good  people. 
The  Lord  promised 'to  Eve  and  Adam  the  paradise  of  Eden,  and  the 
Evil  One  degraded  them  from  their  ranks,  and  God  sent  His  Only 
Begotten,  and  saved  them  and  made  them  go  up  to  a  place  higher 
than  the  first.  The  Devil  suggested  to  the  brothers  of  Joseph  to  sell 
him,  and  God  made  him  a  redeemer  to  them,  in  the  day  of  distress. 
(The  Devil)  wished,  too,  to  dishonour  Mitrodora  by  a  detestable 
adultery,  and  this  motive  distracted  her,  and  she  returned  to  God. 

Faustinianus  had  a  brother,  and  the  Evil  One  insinuated  to  him 
to  conceive  a  passion  for  the  wife  of  his  brother  ;  and  though  he  re- 
peatedly solicited  her,  the  faithful  (woman)  never  wronged  her  hus- 
band, and  she  thought  of  a  means  to  vanquish  the  Evil  One.  She 
made  a  false  pretence,  as  if  she  had  dreamt  it,  to  take  her  boys  and  to 
go  away  from  her  husband,  in  order  that  by  her  absence  the  fire  sur- 
rounding that  violent  man  might  be  extinguished. 

Now,  one  day  Faustinianus  came  home  according  to  his  custom, 


12  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

and  noticing  that  his  wife  was  sad,  he  asked  her  :  "  What  is  the  cause 
of  thy  sadness  ?  "  She  said  to  him  :  "  I  am  sad,  my  lord,  because  I 
shall  go  away  from  thee  and  far  from  thy  company  ".  Then  Faus- 
tinianus  became  angry,  and  began  to  threaten  and  to  say  :  "  Who  is 
it  that  has  designed  to  sever  thee  from  thy  spouse  ?  I  swear  by  the 
mighty  gods  of  all  Rome  to  deliver  to  terrible  punishment  him  who 
designed  this  against  me,  and  also  to  plunder  his  substance,  in  order 
that  he  may  not  speak  behind  the  back  of  a  man  stronger  than  he." 
Mitrodora  said  to  him  :  "  Let  thy  wrath  be  not  kindled,  because  he 
who  will  separate  us  one  from  each  other  is  stronger  than  thou.  Listen 
to  me,  my  lord,  and  I  shall  tell  thee  the  dream  that  I  dreamt.  I  saw 
a  man  of  fire  seizing  in  his  hand  a  sword  of  fire,  and  his  lips  sprinkling 
dew.  He  appeared  to  me  like  a  furnace,  and  said  to  me  and  earnestly 
ordered  me  '  To-morrow  take  thy  two  boys,  Faustinus  and  Faustus, 
and  go  away  from  Rome  ;  leave  thy  youngest  son  and  thy  husband 
in  Rome,  and  do  not  come  back  to  thy  spouse  till  I  warn  thee  '.  The 
man  that  I  saw  told  me  all  these  things  (and  added)  '  If  thou  dost 
not  listen  to  everything  I  have  told  thee,  I  shall  destroy  thee  with  thy 
sons  and  thy  husband  *.  I  am  very  sorry  that  he  whom  I  saw  did  not 
explain  to  me  how  long  we  shall  be  separated.  Lo,  the  dream  is 
unveiled  ;  interpret  it  thyself,  since  thou  art  wise." 

When  Faustinianus  heard  that,  he  was  amazed  ;  he  wondered, 
feared,  and  said  :  "  This  is  hard  to  be  explained  by  wise  men  ;  even 
the  mighty  gods  of  Rome  do  not  know  what  this  vision  means.  I 
heard  that  there  was  one  God  in  the  earth  .  .  .  (illegible  word)  ; 
perhaps  this  dream  .  .  .  (illegible  word)  is  by  means  of  dreams  .  .  . 
(illegible  word)  showed  himself  this  year.  Because  those  who  know 
science  say  that  it  is  the  true  God  who  created  heaven  and  earth  who 
wrought  a  wonderful  miracle  in  every  country,  and  that  this  is  one  of 
His  disciples.  Take  then  thy  two  boys,  as  He  told  thee,  and  go  away 
from  Rome,  so  that  He  may  not  be  angry  ;  because  if  He  is  angry 
the  earth  will  shake  ;  and  the  sea  will  dry  up  if  He  rebukes  it,  be- 
cause He  is  its  Lord.  Lo,  our  fellow-kinsmen  are  in  Athens,  the 
Great  .  .  .  (illegible  word)  to  them,  as  the  man  of  dreams  told  thee. 
Take  provisions  for  one  year  or  two,  and  slaves  and  maids  will  come 
afterwards  and  serve  thee.  Take  care  of  thyself  and  of  thy  children  ; 
become  like  a  mild  dove  which  diligently  attends  to  its  nestlings,  and 
feeds  them  by  the  pecking  of  its  mouth  ;  become  like  a  sparrow  which 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      13 

hides  its  nest  from  the  spectators,  and  protects  its  nestlings  from  the 
hunters  by  its  shrewdness  ;  become  like  a  turtle-dove  which  loves  its 
male,  and  keeps  jealously  the  love  of  its  consort."  With  such  words 
Faustinianus  warned  his  wife,  and  both  spoke  to  each  other  in  the 
grief  of  their  separation.  Faustinianus  was  very  distressed,  but  Mitro- 
dora  did  not  wish  to  disclose  a  hidden  secret  ;  God  prompted  them 
to  this  deed  in  order  that  their  righteousness  might  be  revealed  to 
everybody. 

And  when  Faustinianus  agreed  to  send  his  wife,  he  endowed  her 
with  provisions,  gold,  slaves,  and  maids,  and  gave  her  her  two  children. 
When  parting  from  her  husband,  she  said  to  him  :  "  Good-bye,1  O 
man  of  my  childhood  and  keeper  of  my  youth.  Who  can  know  if  we 
see  one  another  again  ;  like  a  father  .  .  .  {illegible  word)  my  lord, 
to  the  youngest  son  .  .  ."  (illegible  word). 

She  put  to  sea  with  her  two  boys,  and  when  the  ship  moved  two 
days  in  the  sea,  in  the  morning  of  the  third  day  the  sea  grew  rough, 
and  began  to  roar  as  a  (thirsty)  lion  for  a  well  (of  water),2  and  the 
waves  began  to  be  vehemently  wild  .  .  .  (illegible  word),  and  from 
everywhere  violent  winds  and  tempests  tosseth  (it  ?).  Then  Mitrodora 
cried,  bewailed,  and  said  :  "  They  say  that  Thou  art  God,  O  Son  of 
Mary  ;  if  Thou  art  God,  come  to  our  help  and  rescue  us  ;  if  height, 
depth,  sea  and  land  are  under  Thy  command,  the  slave  obeys  his  master 
and  does  not  revolt  against  him  ".  And  she  said  with  great  distress  : 
'  Woe  is  me,  I  wished  to  be  drawn  from  a  corrupted  pond  of  sins, 
and  lo,  I  am  sinking  in  a  sea  of  water,  and  there  is  no  one  to  rescue. 
Woe  is  me,  I  proved  an  evil  stumbling  block  to  my  two  children." 
And  when  waves  tossed  her  about  on  every  side,  she  cried  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  the  Nazarene,  and  stretched  her  hands  and  embraced 
her  boys.  And  she  began  to  complain  (in  the  presence  of)  her  beloved 
ones  :  "  (Cursed  be)  the  hour  in  which  I  have  separated  my  boys  from 
their  father,  and  this  death  which  has  surrounded  me  from  every  side. 
If  Thou  (Jesus)  rescue  me  with  my  children,  Heaven  forbid  that  I 
worship  or  sacrifice  except  to  Thy  name." 

When,  in  a  prostration,  she  was  praying  before  God  with  sobbing, 
the  waves  struck  the  ship  from  every  side  and  it  broke  up,  and  those 
who  were  in  it  floated  upon  water  like  bits  of  grass  ;  and  mother  and 

1  Lit.  remain  in  peace.  -  We  read  bera  instead  of  bra. 


14  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

children  were  hidden  from  one  another  on  the  sea.  And  God  made 
a  sign  to  the  sea  not  to  destroy  them,  as  He  has  commanded  it  for 
Jonas,  and  it  listened  to  Him.  He,  therefore,  bade  the  sea  to  keep 
them  and  not  to  harm  them  without  His  order  ;  because  God  can 
keep  (a  man)  in  the  sea  as  if  he  were  on  land,  since  sea  and  land  are 
under  His  command. 

While  they  were  tossed  in  the  sea  during  all  the  night,  salvation 
dawned  on  them  in  the  morning.  The  right  hand  that  has  been 
stretched  to  Simon,  and  he  was  drawn  up,  has  been  stretched  to  the 
help  of  the  woman  and  her  sons  ;  and  as  God  willed  in  His  mercy, 
He  made  them  reach  the  port  of  Tripoli. 

Seamen  went  out  in  the  morning  and  saw  them  weeping  by  the 
sea- shore.  A  widow  took  them,  honoured  them,  and  brought  them 
up  with  great  honour.  She  gave  them  names  :  she  called  the  one 
Anicetus  and  the  other  Aquilas. 

As  to  their  mother,  God  willed  and  made  her  reach  the  town  of 
Arad.  She  began  to  weep  for  her  boys,  saying  :  "  Where  shall  I  go 
to  seek  your  corpses,  O  my  beloved  sons  who  are  drowned  in  the  sea  ? 
Behold,  I  am  deprived  of  my  beloved  and  of  my  acquaintances. 
Woe  is  me,  I  was  like  a  ship  bearing  riches,  and  the  waves  of  the  sea 
scattered  my  riches  and  threw  my  treasures  to  the  wind,  and  lo,  I  am 
like  a  vine  whose  beauty  hail  has  destroyed.  Would  that  I  had  swift 
wings  like  those  of  young  eagles,  to  go  and  see  thee,  O  Faustinianus, 
when  wandering  after  us  ;  when  sending  slaves  bearing  provisions, 
and  these  (slaves)  returning  back  to  thee,  bearing  bad  news  ;  when 
sending  (letters)  to  the  inhabitants  of  Athens  about  us,  and  these 
answering  thee  with  bitter  letters  ;  when  caught  by  the  day  of  weeping 
and  grief,  and  encircled  by  all  pains  and  severe  tribulations  !  " 

While  Mitrodora  was  afflicted  by  these  and  similar  things,  the 
chiefs  of  the  town  of  Arad  heard,  and  gathered  round  her  and  asked 
her,  saying  :  "  What  is  thy  story,  O  woman  ?  and  which  is  thy 
country  ?  Behold  !  thy  voice  has  shaken  all  our  town."  And  she 
told  them  truly  all  her  story.  And  they  began  to  console  her,  but 
she  afflicted  herself  with  cries  and  lamentations. 

Then  a  widow  came  to  her,  and  began  to  comfort  her,  saying  : 
"I  am  a  widow  like  thee,  and  deprived  of  husband  and  children. 
Come  to  my  house,  and  we  will  live  together  in  bereavement  and 
spend  our  life  in  bitterness."  And  Mitrodora  went  to  her,  and  was, 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      15 

out  of  necessity,  begging  her  bread.  When  she  noticed  that  her 
strength  was  failing,  she  went  and  sat  at  the  gate  of  the  town,  so  that 
she  might  take  alms  from  the  people.  But  where  she  most  suffered, 
there  deliverance  dawned  on  her  through  Simon,  the  head  of  the 
disciples. 

After  Mitrodora  had  spent  two  years  in  this  great  hardship, 
Faustinianus  got  together  provisions,  and  sent  them  through  his  slaves. 
When  the  messengers  reached  Athens  and  asked  the  kinsmen  of 
Faustinianus  about  Mitrodora,  they  answered  them  :  "  We  have  not 
seen  here  this  woman  and  we  have  not  heard  her  story  ".  The  mes- 
sengers went  back  weeping  and  bearing  letters  full  of  sorrow  and 
news  of  anguish.  When  they  called  on  Faustinianus  and  he  read 
these  letters,  he  was  pained,  and  he  wailed  and  wept  bitterly.  He 
wrote  letters  to  all  quarters,  countries,  and  villages.  Messengers 
scoured  all  countries  and  flew  to  all  quarters,  but  returned  with  weep- 
ing. Faustinianus  began  then  to  wear  deep  mourning,  took  his 
youngest  son,  and  went  out  wandering  about  and  asking  everybody  : 
"  Have  you  seen  my  wife  and  her  sons  drowned,  or  roving  along  the 
roads  ? "  When  he  was  walking  and  asking,  he  lost  sight  of  the, 
young  boy,  and  from  deep  grief  he  did  not  notice  that. 

When  the  boy  Clement  was  straying,  a  seaman  took  him  and  got 
him  into  a  ship,  and  in  that  very  night  they  sailed  for  the  country  of 
Syria.  And  when  Simon  was  teaching  by  the  seashore,  in  towns,  the 
seaman  took  the  boy,  and  gave  him  to  Simon,  and  he  became  his 
disciple.  He  was  the  first  disciple  that  Simon  Cephas  had.  And 
Simon  took  the  boy  Clement  and  went  to  Tripoli,  in  order  to  evan- 
gelize there. 

While  he  was  teaching,  the  woman  who  had  brought  up  his 
brothers  came  and  gave  them  up  to  become  the  disciples  of  Simon 
Cephas  ;  and  the  grace  of  God  thus  gathered  together  the  three 
brothers.  The  head  of  the  Apostles  and  they  three  ate  and  drank 
together,  and  they  did  not  know  one  another. 

And  Simon  went  away  to  Arad,  to  preach  there  the  true  faith  ; 
for  the  grace  of  God  called  him  to  comfort  the  weak  woman  by  means 
of  her  three  beloved  ones. 

When  Simon  and  Clement  were  in  their  way,  Simon  said  to 
Clement :  "  My  brother,  behold  !  thou  hast  been  twenty  years  with 
me,  and  I  did  not  ask  thee  what  was  thy  country,  or  where  thou 


16  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

earnest  from,  or  if  thou  knewest  whether  thou  hadst  parents  or  kins- 
men ".  When  Clement  heard  that  he  began  to  weep  bitterly,  and 
said  to  him  :  "Listen,  my  lord,  and  I  shall  speak  before  thee :  I  am 
from  a  great  family  of  the  city  of  Rome,  from  the  royal  family,  the  son 
of  Faustinianus  the  great ;  the  name  of  my  mother  was  Mitrodora  ; 
and  besides,  thy  servant  had  two  brothers,  the  name  of  the  elder  was 
Faustinus,  and  of  the  other  Faustus.  My  mother  dreamt  a  dream, 
which  became  the  cause  of  her  death  ;  she  saw  a  man  of  fire  riding 
on  horses  of  fire  and  he  said  to  her,  '  Arise,  take  thy  children  and  go 
away  from  Rome '.  My  father  had  kinsmen  in  Athens  ;  he  gave  her 
provisions  and  the  brothers  elder  than  I,  and  he  sent  her  to  Athens  ; 
and  since  they  left  us  we  have  not  heard  any  news  about  her  ;  my 
father  sent  messages  to  all  countries,  and  no  one  said  that  he  had  seen 
them  ;  then  my  father  took  me  and  went  away  wandering  and  asking 
everybody  about  them.  When  walking,  I  and  my  father,  on  the  sea- 
shore, I  have  been  out  of  his  sight,  and  through  the  pain  of  his  heart, 
he  did  not  notice  me  in  that  moment.  As  to  me,  when  a  seaman 
noticed  me,  he  took  me,  put  me  on  board  and  brought  me  to  thee  ; 
such  a  pain,  and  such  trials  befell  me  !  Now  God  knows  if  my 
parents  survive  or  not." 

And  Simon  was  amazed,  and  glorified  God  and  began  to  cry  in 
sorrow  and  to  say  to  the  child  in  grief :  "I  have  hope  in  God,  that  if 
thy  parents  are  alive,  thou  wilt  soon  see  them  **. 

When  Simon  and  Clement  reached  the  gate  of  Arad,  Simon  saw 
Mitrodora  sitting,  and  said  to  her  :  "  Woman  thou  art  young  in  thy 
age, — and  thou  chosest  this  ignominious  business  for  thee  ;  why  likest 
thou  not  to  .  .  .  ?  (illegible  word},  and  thou  wilt  live ".  She  said 
to  Simon  :  "  My  lord,  if  thou  knewest  the  hardships  that  I  have  borne, 
and  the  pains  that  my  eyes  have  seen,  even  if  thou  hadst  a  remedy  of 
death,  thou  wouldst  have  given  it  to  me,  so  that  I  should  drink  it  and 
be  delivered  from  this  pain  ". 

The  divine  Apostle  said  to  her  :  "  O  woman,  reveal  thy  story  to 
me,  and  I  have  a  remedy  of  life  that  I  shall  give  thee  ;  drink  of  it  and 
be  saved  from  thy  pain  ". 

And  the  woman  began  to  tell  successively  all  her  story.  When 
the  divine  Apostle  heard  it,  his  mind  rejoiced,  and  he  glorified  God 
for  having  soon  answered  his  prayers.  When  the  woman  was  telling 
all  this,  Clement  was  in  the  town  with  his  friends.  And  Simon 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      17 

i 
Cephas  said  to  her  :   "  Woman,  thy  pains  are  bitter,  and  thy  ailment 

is  great,  but  I  have  hope  in  God  that  He  will  comfort  thee  in  thy 
pains  ". 

When  Simon  was  still  speaking  to  her,  the  young  Clement  re- 
turned back  to  him.  Simon  then  said  to  him  :  "  Tell  me,  my  son,  all 
that  thou  toldest  me  on  the  way  ". 

And  the  young  man  began  to  tell  all  that  he  had  endured.  And 
Simon  said  to  Mitrodora  :  "  Listen  to  what  this  young  man  is  telling". 
When  she  listened,  her  heart  glowed  towards  this  young  man,  her  son, 
and  she  recognized  him.  The  young  man,  too,  recognized  his  mother. 

And  the  mother  began  to  say  to  her  son  :  "  Come  in  peace  thou 
who  takest  away  my  pains  and  wipest  the  tears  off  my  eyes  ;  come  in 
peace,  O  slain  man  who  lived  again,  O  dead  man  who  comforted  his 
parents  by  his  resurrection  !  I  worship  the  God  who  made  me  worthy 
to  see  thee  ;  I  confess  Him,  because  those  who  trust  in  Him  will 
not  be  confounded.  I  am  Mitrodora,  thy  mother.  I  hope  that 
He  who  has  counted  us  as  worthy  to  meet  each  other  will  count  us 
also  as  worthy  to  see  thy  brothers." 

And  Simon  took  Clement  and  his  mother  and  went  to  the  young 
men,  his  brothers.  Before  they  reached  them,  they  looked  at  Clement 
and  his  mother  with  him,  and  they  began  to  grumble,  saying  :  "  Who 
is  this  woman  who  speaks  to  Clement  and  walks  with  him  ?  Behold, 
we  have  been  fellow-disciples  for  twenty  years,  and  we  have  not  seen 
him  either  speaking  to  a  woman  or  looking  at  a  woman  ;  can  she  be 
his  mother  ?  " 

When  Clement  reached  them,  his  brothers  asked  him  without 
knowing  that  he  was  their  brother  :  "  Tell  us,  our  brother,  who  is  this 
woman  who  is  with  thee  ?  "  What  great  marvel,  my  brothers  !  How 
great  is  the  Providence  of  God — to  whom  be  glory  !  Who  will  not 
wonder  !  Who  will  not  glorify  God  for  His  mercy  and  for  His 
great  compassion  towards  His  creature  ! l  Three  beautiful  branches 
were  cut  off  from  their  vine,  and  April  came  in  its  season  and  made 
them  blossom  in  their  vine  !  How  beautiful  are  three  mild  doves 
which  flew  from  their  nest,  and  when  they  escaped  the  sparrow- 
hawk,  they  gathered  at  the  voice  of  their  mother  !  How  beautiful 
are  three  young  eagles  which  grew  up  without  their  parents,  and 
when  their  wings  were  sufficiently  strong,  they  came  and  caused  their 

1  Lit.  clay. 


18  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

parents  to  rejoice  !  A  poor  woman  who  during  twenty  years  has 
been  deprived  of  her  children,  the  grace  of  God  gathered  them  in  one 
hour,  and  they  came  to  her  !  Then  Clement  answered  his  brothers, 
not  knowing  that  they  were  his  brothers  :  "  My  brothers,  this  is  my 
mother  !  " 

His  brothers  began  then  to  ask  him  :  "  Tell  us,  our  brother  ; 
behold  we  have  lived  together  for  twenty  years,  and  we  did  not  ask 
thee  where  thou  earnest  from,  and  what  thy  family  was  in  the  world  ; 
tell  us  that  now,  and  we  will  tell  thee  from  whence  we  are  ".  And 
Clement  began  to  tell  to  his  brothers,  none  knowing  that  all  were 
brothers  the  one  to  the  other.  Their  mother  was  standing  far  from 
there  and  hearing  the  words  of  their  mouths.  "  As  to  me,  O  my 
brothers,  I  am  from  the  city  of  Rome  ;  my  father  was  called  Faus- 
tinianus,  and  my  mother  Mitrodora  ;  I  had  two  brothers,  and  their 
names,  for  one,  was  Faustinus,  and  for  the  other,  Faustus ;  and 
through  a  dream  that  my  mother  dreamt,  we  have  been  scattered 
among  the  nations  ;  and  now,  by  the  will  of  God,  I  have  found  my 
mother,  and  have  recognized  her." 

His  brothers  said  with  tears  in  their  eyes  :  "  Our  brother,  from 
thy  words,  if  they  are  true,  thou  art  our  brother,  and  we  are  thy 
brothers  ;  Iiam  Faustinus,  and  this  is  our  brother  Faustus.  When  we 
went  out '  (of  Rome)  and  sailed  for  two  days  in  the  sea,  our  ship 
broke  up  ...  (illegible  word),  and  we  have  been  scattered  among 
the  nations." 

Their  mother  heard  these  things,  and  her  arms  were  restored,  for 
they  had  been  for  a  long  time  withered.  She  embraced  them  in 
weeping  and  in  saying  to  them  :  "Be  sure  that  I  am  your  mother 
Mitrodora,  who  was  sent  to  Athens  with  you,  by  your  father". 
And  together  they  glorified  God  who  had  gathered  them  into  His 
sheepfold. 

Then  the  three  brothers  asked  Simon,  their  master,  to  baptize 
their  mother.  And  when  they  found  a  place  fit  for  baptism,  they 
showed  it  to  their  holy  master,  and  he  baptized  Mitrodora  ;  then  he 
sent  the  three  brothers  with  their  mother  to  Laodicea.  And  he 
stood  up;!to  pray,  and  then  to  follow  them  ;  when  he  prayed,  he 
said  :  "  O  God,  in  the  hands  of  whom  all  the  ends  (of  the  earth) 
are  ;  O  God,  rich  in  mercy,  as  Thou  hast  gathered  these  by  Thy 
mercy,  answer  me  my  prayer  from  Thy  treasure  ;  if  the  husband  of 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      19 

Thy  handmaid  Mitrodora  be  alive,  make  him  present  to  see  his  wife 
and  his  sons  ;  if  he  be  kept  in  life  may  a  sign  from  Thee  make  him 
present,  in  order  that  he  may  come  and  receive  Thy  yoke,  and  work 
with  us  in  Thy  vineyard  ".  And  God  heard  quickly  the  voice  of  the 
Apostle,  and  a  (divine)  sign  caught  away  Faustinianus  from  Rome 
and  brought  him  to  Simon,  the  Apostle. 

And  when  Simon  was  walking  in  the  way,  behold,  an  aged  man 
stood  before  him,  dressed  in  old  patches  and  in  worn-out  clothes,  and 
with  much  dust  on  him,  like  a  poor  man.  Simon  asked  him  :  "  Who 
art  thou,  man,  that  thou  wanderest  in  the  hills  ?  Art  thou  a  thief,  a 
robber,  or  a  shedder  of  men's  blood  ?  " 

The  old  man  answered  Simon  with  great  grief,  and  said,  "  I  am 
neither  a  thief  nor  a  robber  ;  but  thy  servant  is  from  the  city  of  Rome. 
I  had  a  wife  and  three  sons,  and  when  she  was  asleep  she  dreamt  a 
bad  dream,  and  through  it  we  have  been  scattered  among  the  nations. 
This  happened  twenty  years  ago,  and  behold,  I  am  wandering  after 
them,  and  I  cannot  find  them  ;  and  to-day  when  I  was  in  the  country 
of  Rome,  something  like  a  right  hand  caught  me  and  flung  me  into 
this  country.  Behold,  I  am  under  some  phantasms  and  agitated, 
since  I  do  not  know  where  I  am." 

Simon  said  :  "If  somebody  comes  now  and  shows  thee  thy  wife 
and  thy  sons,  what  wilt  thou  give  him  ?  "  The  old  man  said  :  "  God 
is  witness  that  I  have  no  other  thing  than  that  I  shall  become  a  slave 
before  him  for  ever". 

And  Simon  took  him  and  went  to  his  encampment ;  and  Simon 
raised  his  voice  saying  :  "  Come,  Mitrodora,  and  see  Faustinianus, 
thy  husband  ;  take  thy  beloved  ones,  and  come  to  meet  him  ;  like  an 
eagle  he  has  crossed  sea  and  land  for  thy  sake ".  And  all  at  once 
she  flew  like  a  dove,  and  took  her  nestlings  with  her  ;  but  when  she  saw 
Faustinianus  dressed  in  patches  and  surrounded  by  poverty,  she  asked 
him  with  great  grief :  "  Tell  me,  O  man,  what  is  thy  country  ?  It 
seems  to  me  that  thy  limbs  have  borne  many  pains.  I  craved  long  to 
see  my  spouse,  but  the  figure  that  I  notice  in  thee  is  not  his." 

The  old  man,  then,  said  to  her  :  "If  thou  art  Mitrodora,  I  am 
Faustinianus  ". 

And  Mitrodora  said  to  him  :  "  Where  are  the  glory  and  the 
beauty  that  thou  didst  put  on  and  the  gorgeous  raiment  in  which 
thou  wast  dressed  ?  " 


20  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

The  old  man  said  to  her  in  grief  :  "  Since  the  day  when  thou  and 
thy  children  were  separated  from  me,  I  have  been  in  pain  and  wander- 
ing for  your  sake  ;  sea,  I  crossed  ;  land,  I  scoured  ;  height,  I  trod  ; 
and  depth,  my  soul  sounded  ;  thirst  overpowered  me,  hunger  tormented 
me,  bareness  of  feet  made  me  suffer,  heat  burned  me,  and  cold  dried 
me,  so  that  I  might  find  you  ;  and  I  did  not  find  quietness  till  now  ". 

And  Mitrodora  said  to  him  :  "  Come,  O  tree,  and  see  the  branches 
which  had  been  separated  from  thee  ;  they  have  become  staves,  and 
behold,  they  are  sustaining  us  ".  The  old  man,  then,  approached,  and 
kissed  his  sons  tenderly  ;  and  began  to  weep  upon  them  as  if  they 
were  departed  people  rising  (from  the  dead),  and  said  :  "  Come  in 
peace,  O  slain  ones,  who  have  returned  (to  life)  !  O  departed  ones, 
who  have  been  resuscitated  !  Blessed  are  my  eyes,  for  I  have  seen 
you  to-day  !  I  glorify  God,  because  He  gave  you  to  me  to  sustain 
my  old  age,  to  take  away  my  pains,  and  to  console  my  affliction." 

And  Simon  Cephas  baptized  also  the  old  man,  their  father  ;  and 
all,  mother,  sons,  and  father,  became  pure  sanctuaries  and  dwellings 
to  the  Holy  Spirit,  reached  a  high  rank,  and  were  much  renowned  in 
sanctity. 

And  we  all,  let  us  glorify  God  who  comforts  distressed  people, 
and  takes  away  the  pains  of  those  who  trust  in  His  name.  Glory  be 
to  Him  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen. 

II.  THE  BOOK  OF  SHEM  SON  OF  NOAH. 

FOREWORD. 

The  curious  treatise  here  printed  will  add  something  to  our  know- 
ledge of  Biblical  Apocrypha.  The  field  of  extension  of  these  spurious 
productions  is  already  very  wide,  but,  if  we  mistake  not,  none  of  them 
purports  in  a  similar  way  to  predict  events  dealing  with  agriculture. 
Our  work  is  a  kind  of  agricultural  horoscopy  ascribed  to  Shem  son  of 
Noah.  In  the  Book  of  Jubilees  X.  1 2  ;  XXI.  70,  mention  is  made 
of  certain  books  of  Noah.  "  And  he  gave  all  that  he  had  written  to 
Shem,  his  eldest  son  ;  for  he  loved  him  exceedingly  above  all  his 
sons  "  (R.  H.  Charles'  Apocrypha  and  Pseudopigrapha,  II,  28). 
"  For  thus  I  (Abraham)  have  found  it  written  in  the  books  of  my 
forefathers,  and  in  the  words  of  Enoch,  and  in  the  words  of  Noah  " 
(ibid.  p.  44).  "  For  so  my  father  Abraham  commanded  me  ;  for  so 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      21 

he  found  it  in  the  writing  of  the  Book  of  Noah  concerning  the  blood  " 
(Testament  of  Levi,  ibid.  p.  365).  In  the  Book  of  Enoch  there 
are  also  traces  of  a  certain  apocalyptic  work  attributed  to  him  (1  En. 
6-11;  54,  7  ;  55,  2  ;  65-69,  etc.,  of  Charles'  edition).  Ephiphanius 
{Adv.  Hczr.  XXVI.  1)  tells  us  that  among  some  Gnostic  sects  a  book 
was  current  bearing  the  name  of  Nuria,  Noah's  wife. 

In  the  text  of  Jubilees  quoted  above  it  is  only  said  that  Shem 
transmitted  to  posterity  his  father's  works,  and  no  specified  book  is 
directly  attributed  to  him.  From  The  Jewish  Encyclopedia  (xi. 
262)  we  learn  "  that  Shem  is  supposed  by  the  Rabbis  to  have  estab- 
lished a  school  in  which  the  Torah  was  studied,  and  among  the  pupils 
of  which  was  Jacob.  Later  Shem  was  joined  by  Eber, — and  the 
school  was  called  after  both  of  them.  Besides,  the  school  was  the 
seat  of  a  regular  bet-din  which  promulgated  the  laws  current  in  those 
times.  The  bet-din  of  Shem  proclaimed  the  prohibition  of  and  the 
punishment  for  adultery."  This  last  feature  must  not  be  overlooked 
in  reading  the  present  apocryphon  in  which  there  is  frequent  mention 
of  adultery. 

Many  public  libraries  contain  physician  Asaph's  medical  treatise 
described  by  Steinschneider  (Hebr.  Bibl.  XIX.  35,  64,  84,  1 05).  The 
introduction  to  this  treatise  registers  a  tradition  to  the  effect  that  Shem 
son  of  Noah  was  the  inventor  of  medicine  which  had  been  revealed  to 
him  by  the  Angels.  This  information  would  also  tend  to  explain  why 
a  treatise  on  astromancy  or  horoscopy  could  have  been  written  under 
the  name  of  Shem.  In  ancient  times  no  good  physician  was  able  to 
dispense  with  astromancy,  and  after  all  the  herbal  drugs  had  failed,  it 
was  the  handiest  recipe  to  produce  effects  that  no  other  medicine  could 
produce.  It  was  on  many  occasions  a  safe  panacea  admitting  of  scarcely 
any  exceptions. 

The  Book  of  Shem,  son  of  Noah,  has  been  mainly  written  for 
people  interested  in  agriculture.  It  tells  which  is  the  good  year  for 
cultivation,  and  which  is  the  best  month  in  which  to  sow.  Shem 
draws  his  knowledge  of  these  questions  from  the  twelve  signs  of  the 
zodiac.  From  the  same  source  he  can  foretell  the  dearness  or  cheap- 
ness of  the  most  necessary  articles  of  food  :  wheat,  barley,  watered 
cereals,  oil,  wine  ;  and  is  able  also  to  prognosticate  the  health  of  the 
most  useful  domestic  animals  such  as  sheep  and  cattle. 

The  country  in  which  the  Book  of  Shem  was  written  is  easy  to 


22  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

determine.  The  author  lays  stress  continually  on  events  dealing  with 
Egypt  and  Palestine.  As  far  as  Egypt  is  concerned  the  inundation 
of  the  Nile  takes  a  prominent  place,  and  is  mentioned  in  every  section. 
Of  the  Egyptian  towns  Alexandria  is  the  only  one  which  has  deserved 
special  record.  As  far  as  Palestine  is  concerned,  the  holy  city  has 
no  place  in  the  mind  of  Shem,  and  curiously  enough,  his  mind  was 
not  interested  in  any  other  Biblical  town.  Probably  Damascus  and 
the  district  of  Hauran  which  are  frequently  mentioned  by  name  con- 
stituted an  integral  part  of  Palestine  in  the  geography  of  the  treatise. 
From  these  precise  data,  it  is  safe  to  infer  that  the  work  was  written 
somewhere  in  Egypt  for  people  who  had  great  interest  in  Palestine, 
or  somewhere  in  Palestine  for  people  who  had  great  interest  in  Egypt. 

Unfortunately  we  cannot  be  so  categorical  as  to  the  question  of 
the  epoch  of  the  appearance  of  the  work.  On  the  one  hand  it  does 
not  contain  any  precise  historical  details  entitling  us  to  fix  on  a  de- 
termined date,  and  on  the  other  hand  the  frequent  mention  of  the 
Romans  and  of  their  kings  induces  us  to  suppose  that  it  saw  the  light 
in  the  period  of  the  Roman  domination  of  Egypt  and  Palestine. 
Further,  the  writer  seems  to  have  certain  interest  in  the  matter  of 
Jewish  emigration  from  Palestine,  because  he  distinctly  mentions  the 
propitious  and  unpropitious  years  for  emigration.  If  any  argument 
can  be  built  on  this  information,  we  should  be  tempted  to  say  that 
the  treatise  was  written  in  a  time  of  national  distress  in  Palestine,  and 
this  would  naturally  suggest  a  time  not  very  remote  from  the  catas- 
trophe which  befell  the  Jewish  nation  under  Vespasian  and  Hadrian. 
It  is,  however,  precarious  to  make  a  categorical  pronouncement  on 
this  subject  ;  we  shall  presently  see  that  the  outer  form  of  the  work 
actually  postulates  a  much  later  date. 

Another  puzzling  question  is  the  religious  belief  of  the  proble- 
matic Shem.  Having  found  nothing  in  his  work  which  would  vouch 
for  his  Christian  tendencies,  we  have  ventured  to  suppose  that  he  was 
a  Jew.  Indeed  some  details  which  characterize  his  work  seem  to 
point  to  a  Jewish  authorship  ;  such  is  the  question  of  emigration, 
Passover,  continual  distress,  and  persecution.  Strictly  speaking  the 
argument  taken  from  the  word  Passover  would  vanish  if,  through 
other  channels,  it  were  proved  that  the  document  was  Christian  ;  in 
this  case  Passover  would  simply  have  to  be  changed  into  Easter. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  topics  of  emigration,  distress,  and  per- 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      23 

secution.  Some  words  which  have  disappeared  from  the  manuscript 
would  perhaps  have  solved  the  problem,  but  as  the  work  stands,  it 
has  certainly  more  Jewish  than  Christian  colour. 

The  question  of  the  original  language  of  the  document  is  even 
more  difficult  to  settle.  We  have  before  us  in  a  relatively  recent 
manuscript  a  text  with  numerous  lacunae  and  several  corrupted  pas- 
sages. Until  some  other  manuscripts  are,  therefore,  found,  or  some 
exact  quotations  by  subsequent  writers  are  given,  it  is  more  prudent  to 
suspend  our  judgment.  The  Syriac  style,  however,  contains  vocables 
which  reflect  a  certain  influence  of  the  Arabic  language.  It  is  through 
this  language  that  we  understand  some  new  Syriac  words  which  are 
missing  in  the  most  recent  dictionaries.  The  argument  must  not  be 
considered  as  decisive,  and  it  is  even  probable  that  such  words  might 
have  been  in  use  before  the  ninth  century  of  the  Christian  era  in 
which  the  Arabic  could  reasonably  exercise  an  influence  on  the 
Syriac.  There  is  in  reality  no  finality  about  any  dictionary,  for  each 
newly  discovered  manuscript  may  reveal  words  which  are  still  unre- 
corded, even  in  such  a  monumental  work  as  the  Thesaurus  Syriacus 
of  Payne  Smith. 

In  the  prognostication  of  the  events  which  take  place  if  the  year 
begins  in  Cancer  the  author  uses  the  words  Krayatha  and  rsa'a. 
If  we  do  not  call  to  our  help  the  Arabic  language  for  the  deter- 
mination of  these  words,  the  phrase  will  not  give  any  reasonable 
meaning.  As  far  as  the  first  word  is  concerned  the  Arabic  verb  akra 
which  means  "  he  had  a  backache  "  suits  best  the  context,  and  so  we 
have  supposed  that  the  word  is  a  noun  of  action  of  a  corresponding 
Syriac  akrl.  As  far  as  rsa'a  is  concerned  we  have  also  resorted,  in 
order  to  find  an  appropriate  sense,  to  the  Arabic  rasa'  "  soreness  of 
the  eyes  ". 

In  the  next  section,  it  is  said  of  locusts  wankkowzun.  No  mean- 
ing given  to  this  verb  by  the  lexicographers  can  satisfy  the  context. 
So  we  have  tried  to  explain  it  through  the  Arabic  Kaza  meaning 
"  he  gathered  ". 

There  is  also  a  sentence  which  in  our  judgment  can  yield  no  mean- 
ing, and  the  Syriac  scholar  who  could  find  a  good  sense  for  it  would 
be  very  fortunate.  In  the  section  of  Scorpio,  after  having  foretold  that 
the  Nile  will  overflow  half  of  its  normal  rate,  the  author  or  the  trans- 
lator adds  immediately  the  incomprehensible  Gbghd  dkatfinta.  The 


24  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

use  of  the  words  Kattmutha  and  Kattlna  in  the  sense  of  "  distress  " 
and  "  distressed  "  respectively  deserves  also  special  notice. 

We  conclude  the  above  survey  with  a  great  margin  of  uncertainty. 

The  manuscript  in  which  the  work  is  found  is  not  very  ancient. 
It  cannot  be  placed  earlier  than  the  fifteenth  century.  It  contains  many 
treatises  on  astrology  by  different  writers,  and  among  these  treatises  is 
included  the  Testament  of  Adam,  which  is  printed  in  the  second  vol- 
ume of  the  Patrologia  Syriaca  (pp.  1 309- 1 360).  The  copyist  of 
the  book  was  an  extremely  bad  Syriac  scholar,  and  his  transcription  is 
frequently  ungrammatical  and  corrupt  owing  to  the  omission  of  prefixes 
and  suffixes,  and  to  the  awkward  confusion  between  graphically  similar 
letters,  such  as  D  and  R  ;  occasionally  also  one  notices  in  the  text  the 
omission  of  complete  words  and  a  false  conjugation  of  verbs.  The 
manuscript  which  formerly  belonged  to  J.  Rendel  Harris's  precious 
collection  and  was  numbered  "  Cod.  Syr.  165  "  is  now  the  property  of 
The  John  Rylands  Library  where  it  stands  as  Cod.  Syr.  44.  It  is  the 
most  unsatisfactory  Syriac  MS.  which  I  have  ever  seen.  Its  contents 
are  sometimes  similar  to  those  of  the  "  Syrian  Anatomy  "  or  "  Book 
of  Medicines"  so  ably  edited  and  translated  in  1913  by  E.  A.  Wallis 
Budge  (pp.  520-656). 

Such  is  the  outer  form  of  this  fantastic  apocryphon.  If  it  cannot 
claim  the  honour  of  being  counted  among  the  books  which  have  excited 
so  keen  an  interest  among  some  theologians,  its  supposed  paternity 
will  always  give  it  a  place  in  the  shelf  of  writings  bearing  the  sacred 
name  of  Biblical  Patriarchs. 

TRANSLATION. 

Discourse  written  by  Shem  son  of  Noah  about  the  beginning  of  the 
year  and  all  that  happens  in  it. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Aries  : — 

The  year  will  be  hard.  The  quadrupeds  will  die.  There  will 
not  be  many  clouds.  The  standing  corn  will  not  have  good  size,  but 
it  will  have  fat  grains.  The  river  Nile  will  overflow  well.  The  king 
of  the  Romans  will  not  remain  in  one  place.  The  stars  of  heaven 
will  be  scattered  like  rays  of  fire.  The  moon  will  suffer  eclipse.  The 
first  crops  will  perish,  and  the  second  will  be  ingathered.  From 
Passover  .  .  .  *  corn  will  be  mildewed.  The  year  will  be  bad,  with 

1  A  hole  in  the  MS.  with  the  disappearance  of  about  four  words. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      25 

severe  war  and  distress  over  all  the  earth,  especially  over  the  land  of 
Egypt.  Many  ships  will  break  up  when  the  sea  is  rough.  Oil  will 
be  at  a  moderate  price  in  Africa,  and  wheat  will  be  at  a  low  price  ; 
in  Damascus,  Hauran,  and  Palestine  it  will  be  at  a  moderate  price. 
(Palestine)  will  have  different  kinds  of  diseases,  plagues,  and  war,1 
but  it  will  be  delivered  from  them  and  saved. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Taurus  :— 

Anyone  having  in  his  name  (the  letters)  Beith,  Yodh,  or  Koph 
will  be  ill,  or  will  be  killed  with  iron  weapons.  There  will  be  earth- 
quake. A  wind  will  start  from  Egypt  and  spread  over  all  the  earth. 
The  year  will  be  rich  in  wheat  and  abundant  rains,  but  the  chiefs  of 
the  land  and  of  the  surrounding  places  will  destroy  that  (wheat).  The 
yearly  rain 2  will  fail  during  three  months,  and  then  corn  will  be  very 
dear  during  thirty-six  days  ;  many  people  will  die  from  diseases  of  the 
throat,  and  then  tribulation  will  cease.  The  first  crops  (of  wheat)  will 
perish,  but  as  (above),  the  second  crops  will  be  ingathered,  and  barley 
with  the  watered  cereals  will  be  ingathered  also.  The  devils  will  attack 
the  sons  of  men,  but  they  will  not  harm  them  in  anything.  Two  kings 
will  rise  against  each  other.  The  great  river  Nile  will  overflow  above 
its  normal  rate.  Those  who  are  on  board  a  ship  in  the  sea,  and  those 
who  are  on  the  sea  will  be  in  great  distress.  At  the  end  of  the  year 
there  will  be  great  blessing. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Gemini : — 

The  moon  will  be  good.  A  South  wind  will  blow,  from  which 
rain  will  come.  Anyone  having  in  his  name  the  letters  Taw,  Heth, 
or  Mim  will  have  tumours  and  boils  in  his  face.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  year  there  will  be  a  severe  war.  There  will  be  early  rains,  and 
the  standing  corn  will  be  good,  especially  in  the  watered  places.  Mice 
will  abound  in  the  earth.  The  Romans  (and  the  Persians  ?) 3  will 
wage  a  severe  war  against  one  another,  and  the  Romans  will  come 
forth  by  ships  on  the  sea,  will  fight  and  destroy  them.  Malicious 
people  will  rise  in  the  world,  who  will  do  mischief,  and  there  will  be 
great  anxiety  and  distress.  Good  will  come  at  the  end  of  the  year 
and  the  river  Nile  will  overflow  well. 


1  The  word  zaina  may  be  a  mistake  for  zaw'a,  "  earthquake  ". 

2  The  word  is  written  on  the  margin. 

3  Hole  in  the  MS.  with  the  disappearance  of  a  word. 


26  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

If  the  year  begins  in  Cancer  : — 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  corn  will  be  at  a  moderate  price, 
and  people  will  be  comfortable.  The  Nile  will  overflow  at  half  its 
normal  rate.  Alexandria  will  be  besieged,  and  distress  will  be  in  it 
from  pest.  Stars  will  shine  very  brightly,  and  the  moon  will  suffer 
eclipse.  At  the  beginning  of  the  year  wheat  and  barley  will  be 
dear.1  Winds  will  abound,  and  many  people  will  suffer  from  back 
aches,  coughs,  and  soreness  of  the  eyes.  Wine  will  be  abundant. 
Oxen,  sheep,  and  small  cattle  will  perish  ;  and  cereals  will  also 
perish,  but  oil  will  make  up  for  them.  At  the  end  of  the  year  corn 
will  be  dear  for  nine  days,  and  then  there  will  be  rain,  and  (the  year) 
will  have  much  blessing. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Leo  : — 

There  will  be  early  rains,  but  the  soil  will  be  scorched  by  North 
winds  ;  corn  will  not  be  injured  and  the  food  of  mankind  will  be 
good.  Wheat,  rice,  and  cereals  will  be  dear,  and  wheat  will  have  to 
be  watered.  Oil  and  dates  will  be  dear.  There  will  be  diseases  in 
sons  of  men  and  the  pregnant  animals  will  perish  as  well  as  small 
Battle.  A  king  will  fight  against  a  king.  A  considerable  number  of 
locusts  will  make  their  appearance  and  their  number  will  decrease  but 
slightly  .  .  . 2  they  will  turn  from  one  place  to  another  and  they  will 
be  gathered  together.  The  river  Nile  will  overflow  at  its  highest 
rate.  People  will  suffer  from  headaches.  At  the  end  of  the  year 
there  will  be  much  rain. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Virgo  : — 

Anyone  having  in  his  name  (the  letters)  Yodhs,  or  Semkath,  and 
Beith  and  Nun  will  be  ill,  will  be  plundered,  and  will  flee  from  his 
house.  And  there  will  be  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  [  .  .  .3]  There 
will  be  shortage  of  water  in  some  places.  The  first  crops  will  not 
flourish.  People  will  be  in  distress  and  sickness,  Summer  and  Winter. 
The  second  crops  will  be  ingathered,  and  will  be  good.  Corn  will 
be  dear  in  Hauran  and  in  Bithynia,  (?)  but  at  the  end  of  the  year  their 
price  will  be  moderate.  Wine  will  be  cheap  and  delicious.  Dates 
will  be  abundant.  Oil  will  be  dear.  Wheat  and  barley  will  be  at  a 
moderate  price,  and  cereals  will  be  cheap.  Rain  will  be  late  and  will 

1  These  words  are  written  on  the  margin  by  a  later  hand. 
a  A  hole  in  the  MS.  with  the  disappearance  of  a  word. 
3  There  are  evidently  some  words  missing  here. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      27 

not  fall  upon  the  earth  during  thirty  days  down  to  the  time  of  Pass- 
over. .  .  . l  The  king  will  fight  against  another  king  and  will  kill 
him.  Living  in  Alexandria  will  be  dear.  The  (Nile)  will  not  over- 
flow well.  Many  ships  will  break  up.  At  the  end  of  the  year  there 
will  be  moderation  in  everything. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Libra  : — 

There  will  be  early  rains,  and  the  (order  of  the)  year  will  be  in- 
terverted.  People  will  be  secure  from  the  East  wind.  Fig-trees 
will  not  bear  fruit.  Dates  and  oil  will  abound.  Wine  will  be  dear. 
Wheat  will  be  at  a  very  moderate  price.  Locusts  will  appear.  In 
Africa  there  will  be  a  great  and  severe  war.  People  will  have  acute 
diseases.  In  the  middle  of  the  year  rain  will  fail  during  twenty  days. 
The  (kind  of)  wheat  (called)  armo'yatha  (?)  will  not  be  fat  enough. 
All  fields  will  be  good.  Anyone  having  in  his  name  (the  letters) 
Yodh  or  Beith  will  be  ill,  will  have  anxiety,  and  will  emigrate  from 
his  country.  Wine  will  be  spoiled,  and  adultery  will  increase  with 
the  increase  of  foul  desires.  The  king  will  remain  in  one  place,  and 
power  will  cease  in  the  earth,  and  high  officials  will  flee  into  the  sea, 
and  there  will  be  between  (them)  a  severe  war.  In  Galilee  there  will 
be  a  violent  earthquake.  Marauders  will  appear  in  Hauran  and  in 
Damascus.  The  river  Nile  will  overflow  to  its  highest  rate.  In 
Egypt  there  will  be  a  cruel  pest,  which  will  be  in  ... 2  that  is  to 
say  mules.  People  will  be  in  distress  because  of  the  shortage  of  rain. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Scorpio  :-> — 

A  North  wind  will  blow  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  and  there 
will  be  many  early  rains.  At  the  end  of  the  year  everything  will 
be  dear,  and  rain  will  be  so  scarce  that  people  will  address  prayers 
and  supplications  to  the  living  God,  for  the  sake  of  food.  Pregnant 
women  will  have  diseases.  Many  people  will  emigrate 3  from  their 
countries  out  of  distress.  Wheat  and  barley  will  be  ingathered,  but 
only  in  small  quantity  ;  cereals  will  be  ingathered.  There  will  be 
wine  and  oil.  Boils  will  spring  forth  in  the  bodies  of  people  but  they 
will  do  no  harm.  The, Nile  will  overflow  half  of  its  normal  rate.4 

1  A  hole  has  caused  a  word  to  disappear. 

2  A  hole  with  the  disappearance  of  a  word. 

3  The  verb  is  written  on  the  margin. 

4  There  is  here  a  Syriac  sentence  for  which  I  cannot  find  any  satis- 
factory meaning. 


28  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

Anyone  having  in  his  name  (the  letters)  Taw,  or  Yodh,  will  be  ill, 
but  will  recover.  Anyone  born  in  Scorpio  will  live,  but  will  be 
killed  at  the  end  of  the  year. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Sagittarius  :— 

Anyone  having  in  his  name  (the  letters)  Beith,  or  Pe,  will  have 
severe  illness  and  distress,  which  will  be  aggravated  at  the  beginning 
of  the  year.  People  will  be  in  distress  in  many  places.  Little  will 
be  sown  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  In  the  middle  of  the  year  there  will 
be  much  rain.  People  will  store  corn  in  the  barns  because  of  the 
shortage  of  rain.  Crops  will  not  be  good,  so  also  will  be  the  case  at 
the  end  of  the  year.  Wine  and  oil  will  be  at  a  very  moderate  price. 
Adultery  will  increase,  and  small  cattle  will  perish. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Capricornus  :— 

Anyone  having  in  his  name  (the  letters)  Koph  will  be  ill,  will 
be  plundered,  and  will  be  struck  with  sword.  An  East  wind  will 
dominate  the  year.  Every  one  should  sow  earlier  ;  the  last  in  sowing 
will  not  succeed.  At  the  beginning  of  the  year  .  .  .*  will  be  dear. 
Waves  and  billows  will  increase.  [  .  .  .  ] l  will  perish.  In  the 
middle  of  the  year  corn  will  be  dear.  Thieves  will  increase.  The 
officials  of  the  state  will  be  bad.  Wasps  and  reptiles  of  the  earth 
will  multiply  and  injure  many  people.  Many  people  (will  move)  2 
from  one  place  to  another  because  of  the  war  which  will  take  place. 
Wars  will  increase  in  the  earth.  At  the  end  of  the  year  rain  will  be 
scarce.  In  some  places  the  standing  corn  will  yield  something,  and 
in  others  it  will  perish.  There  will  be  pest  in  Damascus  and  in 
Hauran,  and  famine  in  the  littoral  of  the  sea.  Adultery  will  increase. 
People  will  offer  prayers  and  supplications,  will  fast  and  give  alms  for 
the  sake  of  rain.  The  watered  cereals  will  be  normal. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Pisces  : — 

Anyone  having  in  his  name  (the  letters)  Koph,  or  Mim,  will  be 
ill,  and  will  be  plundered.  The  year  will  be  good  and  the  standing 
corn  will  also  be  good  and  beautiful.  There  will  be  early  rains. 
The  game  of  the  sea  will  increase,3  and  when  the  sea  is  rough  ships 
will  break  up.  The  [  .  .  .  ] 4  will  be  ill.  Wine,  oil,  and  wheat 

1  The  copyist  has  omitted  here  the  subject  of  the  verb. 

2  This  verb  (or  one  similar  to  it)  has  been  omitted  by  the  copyist. 

3  Owing  to  a  hole,  the  first  and  the  two  last  letters  of  the  verb  appear. 

4  The  subject  has  been  omitted  by  the  copyist. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      29 

will,  all  of  them,  be  good.  Crops  will  also  be  good.  There  will  be 
strife  and  much  devastation  in  towns  ;  as  to  the  villages,  their 
site  will  change  from  one  place  to  another.1  Marauders  will  come 
forth  from  Palestine,  and  .  .  .a  will  wage  a  great  war  against  three 
towns  ;  and  the  Romans  will  sometimes  be  victorious,  and  sometimes 
defeated.  A  great  disease  will  affect  the  sons  of  men.  A  black 
man  will  come  forth  seeking  power,  and  the  royal  family  will  perish. 
The  king  will  endeavour  to  hear  what  people  would  say,  and  will 
destroy  many  towns,  and  no  one  will  be  able  to  check  him,  and  the 
fear  of  God  and  His  mercy  will  be  far  from  him.  At  the  end  of  the 
year  there  will  be  peace  and  security  for  the  sons  of  men,  and  union 
and  concord  between  all  the  kings  of  all  the  earth. 

If  the  year  begins  in  Aquarius 3  : — 

Anyone  having  in  his  name  (the  letters)  Lamadh  or  Pe  will  be 
ill,  or  plundered.4  At  the  beginning  of  the  year  rain  will  increase, 
and  the  Nile  will  overflow  at  its  highest  rate,  and  Egypt  will  [  .  .  .] 5 
over  Palestine.  [  .  .  .] 6  will  produce.  Lambs  and  sheep  will 
flourish.  A  West  wind  will  dominate  the  year.  A  king  will  fight 
against  a  king.  The  first  crops  will  be  good.  The  (watered)  cereals 
will  not  grow  much,  but  they  will  yield  (something).  The  merchants 
will  ask  for  helpers  from  the  Living  God. 

III.  FRAGMENT, FROM  THE  PHILOSOPHER  ANDRONICUS 
AND  ASAPH,  THE  HISTORIAN  OF  THE  JEWS. 

FOREWORD. 

The  short  extract  here  printed  is  a  genuine  quotation  from  a  Greek 
writer  called  "Andronicus  the  Wise,  the  Philosopher,  and  the 
Learned".  These  epithets  can  hardly  lead  us  to  determine  the 
author's  identity.  In  examining  all  the  writers  with  the  name  of  An- 

1  The  Syriac  wording  of  this  sentence  is  very  ungrammatical.     Possibly 
the  copyist  did  not  understand  the  text  he  was  transcribing. 

2  A  hole  with  the  disappearance  of  a  word. 

3  The  copyist  is  raising  here  an  objection  against  the  text  he  was  tran- 
scribing, because  in  it  Pisces  were  put  before  Antiquarius,  while  Antiquarius 
must  have  been  spoken  of  before  Pisces. 

4  The  sentence  'akar  min  is  difficult  to  understand. 

5  The  verb  is  omitted  by  the  copyist. 

6  The  subject  is  apparently  omitted  by  the  copyist. 


30  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

dronicus  to  whom  might  be  assigned  the  authorship  of  the  fragment  we 
were  able  to  find  only  three  whose  claim  could  be  regarded  as  worthy 
of  consideration  :  (1)  the  astronomer  Andronicus  Cyrrhestes  who  ac- 
cording to  Vitruvius  (I,  6,  4)  set  up  at  Athens  the  octagonal  tower  of 
Marble,  which  is  seen  in  our  days  ;  his  death  is  generally  placed  at 
about  1 00  B.C.  (2)  Andronicus  of  Rhodes,  the  peripatetic  philosopher 
who  arranged  Aristotle's  writings  in  the  form  with  which  we  have 
become  familiar  ;  his  death  is  placed  by  some  Greek  scholars  at  about 
50  B.C.  (3)  The  Christian  Andronicus  of  Hermopolis  in  Egypt,  whose 
poems  according  to  Libanius  (Epist.  75)  were  much  esteemed  in  Egypt 
and  in  Ethiopia.  In  A.D.  359  he  was  suspected  of  pagan  practice, 
according  to  Amm.  Marc.  (XIX,  1 2),  but  was  acquitted  by  Paulus, 
the  envoy  of  the  emperor  Constantius. 

Of  these  three  writers  the  one  who  possesses  stronger  claims  is 
Andronicus  Cyrrhestes  mentioned  by  Eusebius  of  Caesarea  in  his  work 
on  the  "Star".1  In  the  Syrian  Anatomy,  Pathology,  and  Thera- 
peutics of  E.  A.  Wallis  Budge,2  this  Andronicus  is  mentioned  three 
times  (pp.  237,  521,  654  of  the  translation). 

Perhaps  some  other  Andronicus  whom  we  do  not  know  might  be 
set  forth  as  the  author  of  the  present  fragment,  but  the  main  point  of 
interest  which  it  contains  concerning  the  Jewish  writer  Asaph  will 
hardly  be  affected.  The  impression  that  one  gathers  from  the  word- 
ing of  the  translation,  is,  however,  that  Andronicus  was  a  Christian 
writer  speaking  of  olden  Pagan  times  of  Greece.  He  relates  how 
before  his  time  a  certain  literary  man  called  Asaph,  a  Jew  and  an 
"historian  of  the  Hebrews,"  had  given  to  the  twelve  signs  of  the 
Zodiac  the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  Now  who  was  this 
Asaph  ? 

Primd  facia  one  might  think  of  Josephus  as  the  real  "  historian 
of  the  Jews".  The  quotation,  however,  is  not  found  in  Josephus, 
and  probably  Josephus  did  not  write  in  Aramaic.  Further,  Syriac 
writers  transcribe  rightly  Josephus'  well-known  name  as  Yusiphus.. 
The  problem  is  therefore  to  be  approached  from  another  side.  In  the 
Jewish  Encyclopedia  we  are  informed  that  Asaph  Ben  Berechiah, 
one  of  the  captive  Levites  carried  off  to  Assyria  (1  Chron.  VI.  39),  is 
given  in  later  Jewish  legends  as  a  vizier  to  Solomon.  The  article 

1  W.  Wright  in  Journal  of  Sacred  Literature,  1866,  p.  521. 

2  Leipzig-Oxford,  1913. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      31 

which  is  written  by  Gottheil  refers  to  the  Fiknst  (I,  1 9)  as  embody- 
ing the  same  information  as  that  found  in  Jellinek,  B.  H.  V.  23. 
I  was,  however,  unable  to  find  the  name  of  Asaph  in  the  Fihrist. 
If  Gottheil  is  right  in  his  opinion  that  in  the  Jewish  tradition  Asaph  is 
a  vizier  of  Solomon,  we  might  perhaps  find  in  him  a  certain  similarity 
with  Ahikar.  Ahikar  was  the  vizier  of  Sennacherib,  and  Asaph  the 
vizier  of  Solomon. 

The  fragment  here  printed,  which  can  hardly  be  later  than  the 
fourth  century  of  the  Christian  era,  presents  Asaph  as  a  Jewish 
writer  and  a  Jewish  historian,  and  adds  that  he  wrote  in  Aramaic  and 
not  in  Greek.  There  were  evidently  at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian 
era,  or  in  some  unknown  period  preceding  or  following  the  Christian 
era,  books  written  in  Aramaic  by  a  certain  Asaph.  In  lapse  of  time 
mediaeval  tradition  brooded  over  his  name  and  made  him  the  vizier  of 
Solomon. 

In  many  public  libraries  there  is  a  Jewish  medical  treatise  attri- 
buted to  a  certain  Asaph.  The  manuscript  preserved  in  Paris 
(No.  1197,  7)  calls  him  Asaph  ha-Yarkoni,  that  is  to  say, 
"  the  astronomer ".  In  the  historical  introduction  to  the  treatise 
Asaph  is  placed  between  Hippocrates  and  Dioscorides.  The  style, 
however,  of  the  treatise  does  not  bear  out  such  an  antiquity,  and 
Steinschneider  has  even  thought  that  it  was  translated  into  Hebrew 
from  some  Syriac  original. 

The  previous  lines  induce  us  to  suppose  that  there  might  have  been 
a  Jewish  astronomer,  historian,  and  physician  called  Asaph  living  in 
the  centuries  immediately  preceding  or  following  the  Christian  era. 
His  works  having  been  lost,  his  surviving  name  might  have  been  pre- 
fixed to  some  later  literary  productions,  in  order  to  enhance  their  credit. 
On  this  point  our  fragment  is  important  and  deserves  careful  considera- 
tion. It  is  possible  that  the  author  of  the  medical  treatise  referred 
to  above  was  a  person  distinct  from  the  one  quoted  in  this  fragment ;  in 
this  hypothesis  the  Asaph  who  wrote  the  medical  treatise  would 
have  lived  somewhere  in  the  eighth  to  the  tenth  century  and  the 
Asaph  of  our  fragment  would  have  lived  at  a  much  earlier  date.  For 
the  sake  of  further  researches  it  is  also  useful  to  state,  that  in  the 
Chronicles  of  Jerahmeel(z&\\..  M.  Gaster,  p.  230),  there  is  reference 
to  a  certain  Asaph,  governor  of  the  garden  of  Lebanon,  and  contem- 
porary of  Darius  King  of  Media,  Cyrus  King  of  Persia,  and  Zorob- 

3 


32  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

babel,  and  living,  therefore,  in  a  period  immediately  followmg  the 
Jewish  deportation  to  Babylonia.  We  learn  from  the  Jewish 
Encyclopedia  (XII,  688)  that  the  duodecimal  division  of  the  Zodiac 
is  first  mentioned  in  the  Jewish  literature  in  the  "  Sefer  Yezirah " 
which  is  of  unknown  antiquity  (possibly  sixth  century).  In  Yalkut 
(n.  418)  an  attempt  is  made  to  apply  the  twelve  signs  of  the  Zodiac 
to  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel  ;  the  following  lines  will  attribute  this 
attempt  to  hebraicize  the  Zodiac  to  a  much  earlier  date.  The  manu- 
script which  contains  the  text  is  the  same  as  the  one  described  above 
under  the  section  "  Book  of  Shem  son  of  Noah  ". 

TRANSLATION. 

Again  a  discourse  upon  the  twelve  crrotxeia  of  the  sun,  written  by 
Andronicus  the  Wise,  the  Philosopher  and  the  learned. 

Because  the  lovers  of  truth  must  always  remember  and  understand 
the  good  and  prominent  things  which  enlighten  the  mind  of  those  who 
seek  after  them,  I  have  been  anxious,  my  brethren,  to  lay  down  before 
you  the  prominent  question  of  the  evolution  of  the  course  of  (the  sun), 
that  is  to  say  the  limits,  the  times  and  all  the  course  of  its  succession 
with  the  days  of  the  moon  and  the  influence  of  the  twelve  crrot^eta 
which  gravitate  circuitously  in  the  number  of  the  twelve  months  of  the 
year,  and  which  foretell  events  which  happen  to  us  by  order  of  God, 
creator  of  everything. 

In  investigating  x  these  crrot^eta  the  Greeks  have  defined  and 
shown  their  names  and  their  entities.  They  have  called  them  by  the 
names  of  their  gods,  and  they  follow  one  another  in  the  order  of  the 
/cavoVes  of  the  numbers  of  the  days  of  the  months,  that  is  to  say 
according  to  the  lunar  computation. 

They  begin  with  Dio  son  of  Cronus,  and  they  call  him  Aries. 
After  him  comes  Poseidon  his  brother  whom  they  call  Pisces.  After 
him  comes  Apollo,  whom  they  call  Aquarius.  After  this  they  put 
Ares,  whom  they  call  "  Dog  of  Water,"  but  with  us  it  is  Capricornus. 
After  him  they  say  Hermes,  whom  they  call  "  Kerwan  "  2  (Sagittarius). 
After  this  they  say  Pluto,  whom  they  call  Scorpio.  After  this  they 
say  Athena,  whom  they  call  Libra.  After  this  they  put  Aphrodite, 
whom  they  call  "  Virgo  "  who  is  Spica.  After  this  they  say  Artemis, 

1  The  text  here  is  ungrammatical  and  somewhat  corrupt. 
-  Is  it  Crotus  ? 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      33 

whom"  they  call  Leo.  After  this  they  say  Dionysus,  whom  they  call 
Cancer.  After  this  come  the  Dioscuri,  called  Castor  and  Pollux,  sons 
of  Zeus  by  Leda,  and  they  call  them  Gemini.  After  them  comes 
Hercules,  whom  they  call  Taurus. 

Asaph  the  writer  and  the  historian  of  the  Hebrews  explains  and 
teaches  clearly  the  history  of  all  these,  but  does  ndt  write  and  show 
them  with  Greek  names,  but  according  to  the  names  of  the  sons  of 
Jacob.  As  to  the  effects  and  influences  of  these  crroi^eia  he,  too, 
enumerates  them  fully  without  adding  or  diminishing  anything,  but  in 
simply  changing  in  a  clear  language  their  names  into  those  of  the 
Patriarchs.  He  begins  them  in  the  Aramaic  language  and  puts  at 
the  head  Taurus,  which  he  calls  "  Reuben  ".  After  it  comes  Aries, 
which  they1  call  "Simeon".  After  it  comes  Pisces,  which  they 
call  "  Levi  ".  After  it  comes  Aquarius,  which  they  call  "  Issachar  ". 
After  it  comes  Capricornus,  which  they  call  "  Naphtali ".  After  it 
he  sketches  a  rider  while  shooting,  and  calls  him  "  Gad,"  and  he  is 
analogous  with  the  Kirek  ?2  of  the  Greeks.  After  it  comes  Scorpio, 
which  he  calls  "  Dan  ".  After  it  he  mentions  Libra,  which  he  calls 
"  Asher  ".  After  it  he  mentions  Virgo,  whom  he  calls  "  Dinah  ". 
After  it  (comes)  Leo,  which  he  calls  "  Judah  ".  Then  he  sketches 
Cancer,  which  he  calls  "  Zebulun  ".  After  it  he  mentions  Gemini, 
whom  he  calls  "  Ephraim  "  and  "  Manasseh  ". 

As  lovers  of  truth  you  will  see  and  understand  that  these  (orrot^eta) 
have  been  named  according  to  the  number  of  days  (of  lunar  computa- 
tion). I  say  this,  even  if  it  happens  that  the  peal  of  thunder  is  heard 
(in  them).  At  each  month  of  the  year,  each  one  of  the  o-rot^eta 
turns  circuitously  according  to  the  Kavoves  of  the  months  and  gravi- 
tates according  to  the  number  of  the  moons,  each  one  of  them  having 
been  brought  about  by  the  three  Kavoves  of  the  evolution  of  the  moon. 
This  is  their  exposition,  their  order,  and  all  their  influence  of  which 


we  are  aware.3 


1  The  copyist  has  used  many  verbs  in  plural  which  must  have  been 
in  singular. 

2  Is  not  this  a  mistake  for  Crotus  ? 

3  The  Syriac  translation  of  all  this  last  passage  is  corrupt  and  ungram- 
matical.     The  translator  does  not   seem  to   have  understood   the  Greek 
original. 


SOME  EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRIST1AN  DOCUMENTS  IN 
THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY. 

TEXTS. 


w  07  cL*  2  o  ^0700132  uos,o 


ia  2oar 


ooar 

OOCTT 

ooar  ^—  ^^ 
0007 
OO07     - 


73072^2  ^ouar^  ^070 
2i\2  ou  ocruo  2oor 


OOJD 


0007 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      35 


i^  o\\ 


«  ^ 


0007 
21\a-i   ^o   0007 


^  ^       " 


ojao 


36  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


2ocr 


07 


2iaa 

• 

^o   x 

or  A  >n\ 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      37 
i   &*ou*Ai   jA  2ioao;Av.y>   oA  2:L*>2 
007  ZJCJD  2S:j 


\   e^AQi\/\  I^?QJU\  ,  °^^  °^^ 


iy>2  ^oAa,  ^A 


ar 


07 


2^07   Oc-^oujr   ^AO    •  ^OT  >  n  T°k   AJ[2  7  vn 

• 

iarAo 


007 


38  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


OILS 


7\ 


«  x 


cnxa.\ 


oar 


007  cfj     2oa> 


007    »ooar 


v*  cr/o  Nioi  2oa>  vo. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      39 

OTAAiA    i 


2jci,9i  x^o    •  ouaX   ajulsj    ^paju^A   aA 
7  vAg  1    OLOuS*    oiA    Ai-^o2    oy^n  \ 


oou2] 
?Nn  A 


^  '*  ^  v> 


Aoar 

2A  Ai2  2a2  V2  .73*i*o^  aria  Ai2 

i    oou2  • 


v^o^  Aodr 


2or 

2AJU3 

0007   ^ 
AOCTT   jLijci   jLi^^-i  bar   Ot, 


40  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


^07  JL-io 


V2   , 


o2 


OA 

oy 


•  ou^o 
CT  A  \ 


ou& 

007 


t* 
A\JO.JRQ 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      41 
or  \  i  va 

OUJL3 


7  \i2A-io 


•          • 
OU    O2 


42  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

6i\  IJ  .  i  v> 
JL£2  t**V°° 

^A     ,  JL.JL3 


^  2y>Sn\A    oui 

7*«  i  * 

Jbi 


•    *•<   \ 


A\  \o      *  A^JfLti^o    L-^-io    2AQu^        v> 

Hi  I  Oil    AO07O 

ou   s^ 


yA./\'V/\A.\      ^  \f}     L\\     \^%     sg^/\%^<^\ 

AAiX^ 

ov^oro 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRIST1AN  DOCUMENTS      43 
Zo*a  ^  oo^io  ZioAj  oria^l  ia^o 


ora        o-X  07 


Zoor  Zo*2t  a^o  »  ZA?*.\P*>  ZAOA  ^o  oc\iZ 
f  A  x  \        i    V  \ 

7  ^^  X  \^%     ^V%     2L*«k  ^*t  _X  t]  y     >^Q^  ^  \^^  ^  X  m      7^^^^^^ 
•^"^                    v  •       •  •  ^        ^>r 


ZO07    ^V»    007 

AJIOUO  ^.cro 
»• 

^     o  \  vi  T  \   oiJi 


ooor 


Zoor 

7  ^^  ^   007   OX^JCLJC 


OAJKXX     CTTAJ^O     .      a 

<N\  V  ^«Zo 


OOOT    ^-JkAZ    ^OOIUAJ^AO    ZAOuM^JL^ 

*  *     ^k. 

ooor 


7  .  TI 


^JLX    ^JOSLX   207 


44  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

o2        A-*2  jta^2  ^o   o2 
o2  2cu2 

w%  An 


^  OTLXXJCQ  jLii 
ooor   A^,2   ^*i& 

2oor  ^ 


007^0 
0070 


''v^«  *tx 

oi\  2oor 
0007     JU 


AJCX^I 

xo      i       cxio 


^v  x     ,f*r*f  ^\\>     W 


xn<r    *II  xv\    ^Q    *v^>    t^^<A^   ^^.   V*«^   •—  ^    ^ 

.  ^?-jc> 

2X07     , 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      45 
o2  v-iota2     .  v>  .'  n  s\*  %•   \     l 


&»  2  2 


y  VNA   ooj^   A^N|  w%    ^fiauiouJkJD 


79** 


2  A      N     2AAi2     o  x  v> 
£107  jEi 


ojj*  2 


V  4 


oou 
o2 


VA^**  7-""y       7""^        i^w^jf 


oy  i  >  \ 


46  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


OL& 


a^xo 


5^02 

aria  7«\     Ac      w      2oor  w»A 

i\\.  007 

^/    » 

ori^A 


\  «   j.yy.'i    2A 
^      /— 

l^    2—3^ 

JLa"2 


oa 


007    2^:^:*    lAf^  s^o-x2^   1607^   >Li2 

OUD.XO    »  r>JJ-^2^  ZA«  ^\ 

•  ^^ 


207  2AA^2  6uA*2  v^sk  ZJL*O:I  0007 


7  *•  t  ¥ 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      47 


Ai^oZ  [*oorou»2]   Zoor 
^^v_  • 

t    [ZAAiZ]     Z 


or 


A\.n\ 


ZAZo  [00(77   OAfia^AZ]  ^oouA£b 
oZ   »  voiZ   v^ojiZ   ^orA^^ao   o 

ooor  ou^i^^  ^oubbA  ZA\A 
Zj^    ^o 
Zixi 


•  \    »•  •  4  •• 

O%fc2kJk*     t-^*1*     %^^£&LX    /  ~  *  9 

o    ^ OL*  j 

•     iV  ••     f\. 

•^^     /— i^     2kJSk     v*  O7  O— A*  L— J» 

•         ^^  ^^ 

^ 
• 

2or 


2A 


ooo 

Ai2 


48  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


Aoor    ^QJCQ    jo**o     ^o  AOOT 
w^ooi  ^o  v^2  o2 
ooor    ^-i^ja    ^  >  \  ^^ 


0007 


iuAi^  oobr  [a\vy°itA2o] 

ooor] 


030 


2oar 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      49 

oou2o  v>f\  A 
-  T   *•  -\^    2io^oi^**o 


^A   OIACXX  2^o  i  2oor 


^OJt^OJt 


2ocf?  2^ 

«  • 


2or  2^a^  A  i  ,ia> 

o2    Lfi^      o2 

607 


2aro  7*  *  * 


2oro  *  jLiar  2iAJLi  v^aAa^o  »^^A<^\  ^ 
2i"2 


50  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


^*v  A. 


V2 


oA  2 


t*A&     V*JLVD  ^cAj^a        oou     07 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      51 
Z-i2   v^i-^A-boo    ?  *  ^V\ 


Aiiol    4 


-   0007^ 


ODJUO 


/  \  >  V.  n    7  v>^  T 
v 


OO07O       DOTOJ2    j-T  CD 


A  A  S^A^/> 


A.vAy    :: 


52  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


jLi*t"2 

26or 


V2 


2taoojo  JLxi^o 

ou 

V 

X  ^  %  ^. 


^\ 


oo.  2i©A3  2&£&  2xbu/\^o  V2o 
o2 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      53 

2oouo  ,  jAjiaai  v\Vn  o2 
ay  *\  v» 


(sic) 


SJO.QII  Za^  2iou 

(sic) 


vooou 


a^o  2:Lxfi30  AjLx  jLi^T2  Zx 


iA   /*\  v>oo    • 


::2oarA 
2oou 
Ob&o  2^\v>  2oau 


o2  tsi\  o%ao^i2a  2oau  71^0  o2  ^M  o2 

2oouo   , 
K\  \^ 


Cod.     X*A  a  Cod.  repeats. 


54  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

JL^oodrSo 


2A  T.I 


2oouo 


duioxao 


2axi 


Cod.     O£9L1  2  Cod.  Ml  3  Cod. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      55 
J  •>  TV>Q    , 


v\An 


vaio 


Uifo 

v!~ 

(sic) 


Cod. 


f  •*)  <*.     loCJLlO     Z*^^>     OXJCS^SL^O     2^O%A     SLQ^AX^^ 

o 
o^ 


oaoixio  ^fjsAio  2oui^  2oojLi 
P>  *»o  .  .  .  JAJLx     djuiajui  Jloouo 


•SullO    ^3  2  A    2*2k2LX£&2k^2o    ^*O7O^^\_jmO 
•  *  V 


56  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


2i^cu*o       \Qnii 

o 


2oauo 
<s»V* 


^  —  *t 


V2o 


2oouo   » oTjg.Q^so  ou&  ^JO.QM  2icu 
. . .  2oouo  7>  T  n    y\  A  \^_ 


1  Cod.    AX\3L1  2  Cod. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      57 
ID  2^0   v^a,  ijo^i   2AJLX^   ouoAoxJO 

Jbuf2  (suo 


(sic) 


01  \  v^  V.JO 
o2  oA 


OL&O     4 


7  n  •>  y  ou  2ooui 


v\i\n          p^o  oa 

2oou 


2oou 


(sic)vOul2 

V2o  : 


58  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

S.\\*T  10 


g7 


o2 


7.saAo.xjo  Zxi 


2oou 


V2o 


(sic)  VQL.[  N^  en  ]A 


(sic) 

(sic)    ooua   2oot-i 


Cod.      OJD^1  2  Cod. 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      59 


VQ.JL.T1Q     (sic!)sfA       *OJDO     (sic) 

^>n°no 


•>  v>  i  o 


j   2oau 


2  A/  */P"> 


2oou 


o2  cTri^A-boZa  o2 
Q^i  2Ajwt^  cnu 

D«fi3LbO     *»f  V*^     ^ry  Q^  f     t^p^  A  X  ^  ^  /\     ^VN.    y^ 


All  J±l  v>o^  ^^oju  A  JJOQ  ix&i 


Cod.  e^  2  Cod. 


60  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 


0107  « 


(sic) 


oo? 


Cod. 


Cod. 


o2 


° 


07 


EARLY  JUD/EO-CHRISTIAN  DOCUMENTS      61 
i=t^  oA  ^ijao  ^fiD 
jLicLi   cu      ino  ^ 
^   ori 
ou 


907 

^107  i/Xao  voL^ 
^  n  \    OILA 


ou 


62  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY 

2ioA  ixfLa  ^njLfiDO  £utboi2  oar   s^2 
2i^o2  oriAao   Ouaoi   ax 


>»»a^   ax-i    ^.ijao    ^liLi    07  iA.no   va 
i.^0^^2   au 


(sic)  ^0107  ^\  ax     2ino  ^ 


i  ooAo  2^oau  au  2ijoo  jLil 
JEiar  iAao     o.^o.3     aui  2ijoo 


jLil 
2AJLX    vA*i^    ^^\*1     •  OOo  A.JSUI 

^^.    ^^    ^IX.  Q  \  „.  Q^ 


2ioxfi3     axJLJLVO 

oOk 


vooy  on  % 


RECENT  AND  FORTHCOMING  PUBLICATIONS  OF 
THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY. 

CATALOGUE  OF  THE  DEMOTIC  PAPYRI  IN  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS 
LIBRARY.  With  facsimiles  and  complete  translations.  By  F.  LI.  Griffith,  M.A.  1909. 
3  vols.  4to.  3  guineas  net. 

Vol.  1  :  Atlas  of  facsimiles  in  collotype.     Vol.  2  :  Lithographed  hand  copies  of  the 

earlier  documents.     Vol.  3  :  Key-list,  translations,  commentaries,  and  indexes. 
%*  This  is  something  more  than  a  catalogue,  since  it  includes  collotype  facsimiles  of  the  whole 
of  the  documents,  with  transliterations,  translations,  valuable  introductions,  very  full  notes,  and  a 
glossary  of  Demotic,  representing,  in  the  estimation  of  scholars,  the  most  important  contribution  to 
the  study  of  Demotic  hitherto  published. 

CATALOGUE  OF  THE  COPTIC  MANUSCRIPTS  IN  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS 
LIBRARY.  By  W.  E.  Crum,  M.A.  1909.  4to,  pp.  xii,  273.  12  plates  of  facsimiles,  in 
collotype.  I  guinea  net. 

*»*  The  collection  includes  a  series  of  private  letters  considerably  older  than  any  in  Coptic 
hitherto  known,  in  addition  to  many  manuscripts  of  great  theological  and  historical  interest.  Many 
of  the  texts  are  reproduced  in  extenso. 

CATALOGUE  OF  THE  GREEK  PAPYRI  IN  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY. 
By  Arthur  S.  Hunt,  M.A.,  Litt.D.,  J.  de  M.  Johnson,  M.A.,  and  Victor  Martin,  D.  es  L. 
Vol.  1  :  Literary  texts  (Nos.  1-61).  1911.  4to,  pp.  xii,  204.  10  plates  of  facsimiles  in 
collotype.  Vol.2:  Documents  of  the  Ptolemaic  and  Roman  periods  (Nos.  62-456).  1916 
4to,  pp.  xx,  488.  23  plates  in  collotype.  Each  volume  1  guinea  net. 
%*  The  texts  are  reproduced  in  extenso,  and  comprise  many  interesting  Biblical,  liturgical 

classical  papyri,  and  non-literary  documents  of  an  official  or  legal  character  ranging  from  the  third 

century  B.C.  to  the  sixth  century  A.D. 

SUMERIAN  TABLETS  FROM  UMMA  IN  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY. 
.  .  .  Transcribed,  transliterated,  and  translated  by  C.  L.  Bedale,  M.A.  .  .  .  With  a  Fore- 
word by  Canon  C.  H.  W.  Johns,  M.A.,  Litt.D.  4to,  pp.  xvi,  16,  with  ten  facsimile! 
5s.  net. 

%*  This  thin  quarto  consists  of  a  description  of  fifty-eight  tablets,  forming  part  of  the  collec- 
tion recently  acquired  by  the  library. 

A  CLASSIFIED  CATALOGUE  OF  THE  WORKS  ON  ARCHITECTURE  AND 
THE  ALLIED  ARTS  IN  THE  PRINCIPAL  LIBRARIES  OF  MANCHESTER 
AND  SALFORD,  with  alphabetical  author  list  and  subject  index.  Edited  for  the  Archi- 
tectural Committee  of  Manchester  by  Henry  Guppy  and  Guthrie  Vine.  1909.  8vo,;pp. 
xxv,  310.  3s.  6d.  net,  or  interleaved  4s  6d.  net. 
*»*  This  catalogue  is  the  first  of  its  kind  to  be  issued,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  union  lilts 

of  periodicals  and  incunabula. 

AN  ANALYTICAL  CATALOGUE  OF  THE  CONTENTS  OF  THE  TWO  EDI- 
TIONS OF  "AN  ENGLISH  GARNER,"  compiled  by  Edward  Arber  (1877-97),  and 
rearranged  under  the  editorship  of  Thomas  Seccombe  (1903-04).  1909.  8vo,  pp.  viii,  221. 

Is.  net. 

A  BRIEF  HISTORICAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  LIBRARY  AND  ITS  CON- 
TENTS, illustrated  with  thirty-seven  views  and  facsimiles.  1914.  8vo,  pp.  xvi,  73,  and 
thirty-seven  illustrations.  6d.  net. 

THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  FACSIMILES.  A  series  of  reproductions  of  some  of  the  more  in- 
teresting and  important  of  the  rarer  books  in  the  possession  of  the  library.  The  volumes 
consist  of  minutely  accurate  facsimiles  of  the  works  selected,  preceded  by  bibliographical 
introductions. 

I.  PROPOSITIO  JOHANNIS  RUSSELL,  printed  by  William  Caxton,  circa  A.D.  1476. 

.  .  .  With  an  introduction  by  Henry  Guppy.     1909.     8vo,  pp.  36,  8.     3s.  6d.  net. 

%*  An  oration,  pronounced  by  John  Russell,  Chancellor  of  England,  on  the  investiture  of 
Charles,  Duke  of  Burgundy,  with  the  Order  of  the  Garter,  in  February,  1469,  at  Ghent. 

For  many  years  the  copy  now  in  the  John  Rylands  Library  was  considered  to  be  unique. 
Until  1 807  it  lay  buried  and  unnoticed  in  the  heart  of  a  volume  of  manuscripts,  with  which  it  had 
evidently  been  bound  up  by  mistake.  Since  then,  another  copy  has  been  discovered  in  the  library 
at  Holkam  Hall,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of.  Leicester. 

I*.*.'      i  .  . 


APR  241" 
UNIVFRSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


2.  A  BOOKE  IN  ENGLYSH  METRE,  of  the  Great  Marchaunt  man  called  "  Dives  Prag- 

maticus ".  .  .  .  1 563.  .  .  .  With  an  introduction  by  Percy  E.  Newbery ;  and  remarks  on 

the  vocabulary  and  dialect   with  a  glossary  by  Henry  C.  Wyld.     1910.     4to,  pp.  xxxviii,  16. 

5s.  net. 

%*  The  tract  here  reproduced  is  believed  to  be  the  sole  surviving  copy  of  a  quaint  little  primer 
which  had  the  laudable  object  of  instructing  the  young  in  the  names  of  trades,  professions,  ranks, 
and  common  objects  of  daily  life  in  their  own  tongue. 

3.  A  L1TIL  BOKE  the  whiche  traytied  and  reherced  many  gode  thinges  necessaries  for  the  ... 

Pestilence  .  .  .  made    by    the  ...   Bisshop    of   Arusiens.  .  .  .   [London],    [1485  ?].  .  .     . 

With  an  introduction  by  Guthrie  Vine.     1910.     4to,  pp.  xxxvi,  18.     5s.  net. 

%*  Of  this  little  tract,  consisting  of  nine  leaves,  written  by  Benedict  Kanuti,  or  Knutsson , 
Bishop  of  Vasteras,  three  separate  editions  are  known,  but  only  one 'copy  of  each,  and  an  odd  leaf 
are  known  to  have  survived. 

There  is  no  indication  in  any  edition  of  the  place  of  printing,  date  or  name  of  printer,  but  they 
are  all  printed  in  one  of  the  five  types  employed  by  William  de  Machlinia,  who  printed  first  in 
partnership  with  John  Lettou  and  afterwards  alone  in  the  City  of  London,  at  the  time  when  William 
Caxton  was  at  the  most  active  period  of  his  career  at  Westminster. 

WOODCUTS  OF  THE  FIFTEENTH  CENTURY  IN  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS 
LIBRARY.  Reproduced  in  facsimile.  With  an  introduction  and  descriptive  notes  by 
Campbell  Dodgson  M.A.  Folio.  Ten  plates,  of  which  two  are  in  colour,  and  16  pp.  of 
text,  in  a  portfolio.  7s.  6d.  net. 

*»*  Two  of  these  woodcuts  are  of  exceptional  interest  and  importance,  and  have  been  known 
and  celebrated  for  a  century  and  a  half,  but  have  not  hitherto  been  reproduced  in  a  satisfactory 
manner  by  any  of  the  modern  photo-mechanical  processes.  The  two  woodcuts  referred  to  represent 
"  St.  Christopher "  and  "  The  Annunciation,"  the  former  of  which  has  acquired  a  great  celebrity 
by  reason  of  the  date  (1423)  which  it  bears,  and  which,  until  recently,  gave  to  it  the  unchallenged 
position  of  the  first  dated  woodcut. 

THE  ODES  AND  PSALMS  OF  SOLOMON.  Facsimile  in  collotype  of  the  original  Syriac 
manuscript  in  the  John  Rylands  Library,  accompanied  by  a  typographical  reprint  or  trans- 
literation of  the  text,  a  revised  translation  in  English  Versicles,  and  an  exhaustive  introduction 
dealing  with  the  variations  of  the  fragmentary  manuscripts  in  the  British  Museum,  the  accessory 
patristic  testimonies,  and  a  summary  of  the  most  important  criticisms  that  have  appeared  since 
its  first  publication  in  1909.  By  J.  Rendel  Harris,  M.A.,  D.Litt.,  etc.,  Hon.  Fellow  of  Clare 
College,  Cambridge,  and  Alphonse  Mingana,  D.D.  2  vols.  4to. 

Vol.  1  :  The  text,  with  facsimile  reproductions.     10s.  6d.  net. 

Vol.  2  :  Translation  and  introduction.     10s.  6d.  net.  Shortly. 

THE  ASCENT  OF  OLYMPUS.     By  Rendel  Harris.     Demy  8vo.     Pp.  140.    20  Illus- 
trations.    5s.  net. 
%*  A  reprint,  with  corrections,  expansions,  justifications,  and  additional  illustrations,  of  the 

four  articles  on  Greek  Mythology,  which  have  appeared  in  the  "  Bulletin ''  from  time  to  time. 

THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY  LECTURES.    Demy  8vo.      Is.  net  each. 
THE  YOUTH  OF  VERGIL.    By  R.  S.  Conway,  Litt.D.     Pp.  28. 

NATIONAL  AND  INTERNATIONAL  IDEALS  IN  THE  ENGLISH  POETS. 
By  C.  H.  Herford,  M.A.,  Litt.D.  Pp.  24. 

SOME  NOTES  ON  SHAKESPEARE'S  STAGE  AND  PLAYS.  By  William  Poel. 
Founder  of  the  Elizabethan  Stage  Society.  Pp.  16.  3  Illustrations. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  ANCIENT  EGYPTIAN  CIVILIZATION  IN  THE  EAST 
AND  IN  AMERICA.  By  G.  Elliot  Smith,  M.A.,  M.D.,  F.R.S.  Pp.  32.  7  Illus- 
trations. 

THE  MODERN  GREEK  AND  HIS  ANCESTRY.  By  Alfred  Thumb,  Dr.Phil., 
Litt.D.  Pp.27. 

A  MEDI/EVAL  BURGLARY.     By  T.  F.  Tout,  M.A.,  F.B.A.    Pp.  24.    2  Illustration*. 

THE  ENGLISH  CIVIL  SERVICE  IN  THE  FOURTEENTH  CENTURY.  By 
T.  F.  Tout,  M.A.,  F.B.A.  Pp.  32. 

BULLETIN  OF  THE  JOHN  RYLANDS  LIBRARY.  A  quarterly  publication,  which  in 
addition  to  notes  and  news  respecting  the  Library,  with  lists  of  the  most  recent  additions  to  the 
shelves,  includes  original  articles  by  leading  scholars,  which  are  of  permanent  value  and  interest. 
Is.  net. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBAN/I 


30112054275034 


